Iran close to deal on purchasing supersonic anti-ship missiles from China - Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
Iran is preparing to acquire Chinese CM-302 anti-ship cruise missiles, capable of bypassing ship defense systems. This deal will significantly enhance Iran's strike capabilities and pose a threat to US naval forces in the region.
Iran is close to a deal with China to buy anti-ship cruise missiles, six people familiar with the negotiations say, just as the United States deploys a massive naval force near Iran's coast ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic, Reuters reports, writes UNN.
Details
"The deal for Chinese-made CM-302 missiles is close to completion, although a delivery date has not yet been agreed upon," sources said. The supersonic missiles have a range of about 290 kilometers and are designed to evade ship defense systems by flying low and fast. As the publication writes, their deployment would significantly enhance Iran's strike capabilities and pose a threat to US naval forces in the region, two weapons experts said.
"Negotiations with China to purchase missile weapon systems, which began at least two years ago, accelerated sharply after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June," six people familiar with the negotiations said, including three officials briefed by the Iranian government and three security officials. "As negotiations entered their final stages last summer, high-ranking Iranian military and government officials, including Masoud Oraei, Iran's Deputy Minister of Defense, visited China," according to two security officials.
"This will be a complete game-changer if Iran has a supersonic capability to attack ships in the area," said Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence officer and now a senior researcher on Iran at the Israeli think tank Institute for National Security Studies. "These missiles are very difficult to intercept."
Reuters, as stated, could not determine how many missiles were included in the potential deal, how much Iran agreed to pay, or whether China would support the deal now, given the increased tensions in the region.
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"Iran has military and security agreements with its allies, and now is the time to take advantage of those agreements," an Iranian Foreign Ministry official told Reuters.
In a comment sent after publication, China's Foreign Ministry said it was unaware of the negotiations for a potential missile sale reported by Reuters. China's Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.
The White House did not directly comment on the Iran-China missile system negotiations when asked by Reuters. US President Donald Trump has made it clear that "either we make a deal, or we will have to resort to very tough measures, like last time," a White House official said, referring to the current standoff with Iran.
"These missiles will be among the advanced military equipment that China will transfer to Iran, and will violate the UN arms embargo, first imposed in 2006," the publication writes. The sanctions were suspended in 2015 as part of a nuclear deal with the US and allies, and then reimposed last September.
"The potential sale would underscore deepening military ties between China and Iran at a time of escalating regional tensions, complicating US efforts to deter Iran's missile program and limit its nuclear activities. It would also signal China's growing willingness to assert itself in a region long dominated by US military might," the publication notes.
As the publication notes, China, Iran, and Russia conduct joint naval exercises annually, and last year the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies for supplying chemical precursors to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for use in its ballistic missile program. China rejected these accusations, stating that it was unaware of the cases mentioned in the sanctions and that it strictly adheres to export controls on dual-use products.
In September, while hosting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at a military parade in Beijing, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told the Iranian leader that "China supports Iran in defending its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity."
On October 18, China joined Russia and Iran in a joint letter stating that it considered the decision to renew sanctions to be wrong.
"Iran has become a battlefield between the US" on one side and Russia and China on the other, said one of the officials briefed by the Iranian government on the missile negotiations.
The deal, it is noted, comes as the US is assembling an armada within reach of Iran, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort are also heading to the region. The two ships together can carry over 5,000 personnel and 150 aircraft.
"China does not want to see a pro-Western regime in Iran," said Citrinowicz, the Israeli specialist on Iran. "That would be a threat to their interests. They hope this regime will remain."
On February 19, Trump said he was giving Iran 10 days to reach a deal on its nuclear program, or he would have to initiate military action. The US is preparing for the possibility of prolonged, weeks-long operations against Iran if Trump orders an attack, Reuters reported on February 13.
The purchase of the CM-302 would be a significant improvement to Iran's arsenal, depleted by last year's war, said Peter Wezeman, a senior researcher at SIPRI.
China's state-owned Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) advertises the CM-302 as the world's best anti-ship missile, capable of sinking an aircraft carrier or destroyer. The weapon system can be mounted on ships, aircraft, or mobile ground vehicles. It can also destroy targets on land. CASIC did not respond to a request for comment.
"Iran is also negotiating to acquire Chinese anti-aircraft missile systems, so-called MANPADS, anti-ballistic weapons, and anti-satellite weapons," six people said.
China was a major arms supplier to Iran in the 1980s, but large-scale arms deliveries declined by the late 1990s under international pressure. In recent years, US officials have accused Chinese companies of supplying Iran with missile-related materials, but have not publicly accused it of supplying entire missile systems.