Iran nears deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China

Iran is reportedly nearing an agreement with China to acquire advanced anti-ship cruise missiles, as the United States increases its naval presence off Iran’s coast.

According to a Reuters report published on February 24, citing six sources familiar with the talks, negotiations for the purchase of Chinese-made CM-302 missiles are at an advanced stage, although a delivery timeline has yet to be finalised.

The CM-302 is a supersonic missile with a range of approximately 290 kilometres, designed to evade ship-based defence systems by flying at low altitude and high speed.

Weapons experts told Reuters that, if deployed, the system would significantly bolster Iran’s maritime strike capabilities and heighten the threat to US naval forces operating in the region.

Sources said discussions between Tehran and Beijing began at least two years ago but intensified following the brief 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June.

via Reuters