Reuters: Iran nears deal with China for advanced anti‑ship missiles

Iran is close to finalising an agreement with China to acquire advanced anti‑ship cruise missiles, according to six people familiar with the negotiations cited by Reuters, raising concerns as the United States positions a substantial naval force near Iranian waters amid fears of potential strikes.

The deal involves Chinese-made CM‑302 missiles, which are supersonic, have a range of about 290 kilometres, and are designed to evade shipborne defences by flying low and fast. Experts warn that their deployment would significantly bolster Iran’s strike capabilities and pose a threat to U.S. naval forces in the region.

“It’s a complete gamechanger if Iran has supersonic capability to attack ships in the area,” said Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence officer and now senior Iran researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies think tank. “These missiles are very difficult to intercept.”

Negotiations reportedly began at least two years ago but accelerated sharply following a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June. As talks entered their final stages last summer, senior Iranian military and government officials, including Massoud Oraei, Iran’s deputy defence minister, traveled to China, according to two security officials. Oraei’s visit had not been previously reported.

Reuters could not independently verify the number of missiles involved, the financial terms, or whether China will follow through given the heightened regional tensions.

An Iranian foreign ministry official said, “Iran has military and security agreements with its allies, and now is an appropriate time to make use of these agreements.”

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it was unaware of any missile sale talks, while its defence ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The White House also did not directly address the potential negotiations.

A U.S. official noted President Donald Trump has been clear that “either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” referring to the current standoff with Iran.

If completed, the sale would represent some of the most advanced military hardware transferred to Iran by China, potentially defying a United Nations weapons embargo first imposed in 2006. The sanctions were suspended in 2015 under the nuclear deal but reimposed last September.

The potential transaction highlights the deepening military ties between China and Iran at a moment of heightened tension, complicating U.S. efforts to curb Iran’s missile programme and nuclear ambitions. It also signals China’s growing willingness to assert influence in a region historically dominated by U.S. military power.

China, Iran, and Russia hold annual joint naval exercises, and last year U.S. sanctions targeted several Chinese entities for supplying missile-related chemical precursors to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. China denied knowledge of these cases and said it strictly enforces export controls on dual-use products.

In September, during a military parade in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, “China supports Iran in safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity.” China later joined Russia and Iran in a joint letter criticising the reimposition of sanctions.

“Iran has become a battlefield between the US” on one side and Russia and China on the other, said one official briefed by Iran’s government on the missile talks.

The potential missile deal coincides with the U.S. assembling a significant naval armada within striking distance of Iran, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group. The USS Gerald R. Ford and its escorts are also headed to the region. Together, the two carriers can carry more than 5,000 personnel and 150 aircraft.

“China does not want to see a pro-Western regime in Iran,” Citrinowicz said. “That would be a threat to their interests. They are hoping that this regime will stay.”

Trump recently gave Iran ten days to reach a nuclear agreement or face military action, with U.S. forces preparing for potentially weeks-long operations if ordered.

Experts say the CM‑302 would be a major enhancement to an Iranian arsenal weakened by last year’s conflict. Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, noted its significance.

China’s state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) markets the missile as capable of sinking aircraft carriers and destroyers and deployable from ships, aircraft, or mobile ground vehicles. It can also target land installations.

Iran is reportedly also negotiating with China for surface-to-air missile systems, anti-ballistic weapons, and anti-satellite technology. While China was a major arms supplier to Iran in the 1980s, large-scale transfers largely ceased by the late 1990s under international pressure.

By Sabina Mammadli