Iran set to acquire Chinese supersonic anti-ship missiles soon

Iran is reportedly close to finalizing a deal with China to purchase anti-ship cruise missiles, according to six sources familiar with the negotiations. The discussions come as the United States positions a large naval force near Iran’s coast amid fears of potential strikes.

The deal involves Chinese-made CM-302 missiles, which can travel about 290 kilometers and are designed to fly low and fast to evade ship defenses. Experts say their deployment would significantly strengthen Iran’s naval strike capabilities and pose a serious threat to U.S. forces in the region.

Negotiations for the missile system have been ongoing for at least two years but accelerated sharply after the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict in June. As talks reached their final stages last summer, senior Iranian officials, including Deputy Defense Minister Massoud Oraei, visited China to advance the discussions.

“This could be a complete game-changer if Iran gains supersonic capability to target ships,” said Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence officer and now senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies. “These missiles are extremely difficult to intercept.”

Reuters could not confirm the exact number of missiles involved, the cost of the deal, or whether China would proceed amid the rising tensions in the region.

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

CHÚ Ý 1 – Iran tiến gần thỏa thuận mua tên lửa chống hạm từ Trung Quốc https://t.co/1WAM0zFi2D

— Hiếu Trương (@HieuTru34653679) February 25, 2026

In a comment sent after publication, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was not aware of the talks about a potential missile sale that Reuters had reported. China’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

The White House did not directly address the negotiations between Iran and China over the missile system when asked by Reuters. US 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,” a White House official said, referring to the current standoff with Iran.

The missiles would be among the most advanced military hardware to be transferred to Iran by China and defy a United Nations weapons embargo that was first imposed in 2006. 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 moment of heightened regional tension, complicating US efforts to contain Iran’s missile programme and curb its nuclear activities. It would also signal China’s growing willingness to assert itself in a region long dominated by US military might.

China, Iran and Russia hold annual joint naval exercises, and last year the US Treasury Department sanctioned several Chinese entities for supplying chemical precursors to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for use in its ballistic missile program. China rejected those allegations, saying it was unaware of the cases cited in the sanctions and that it strictly enforces export controls on dual-use products.

While hosting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for a military parade in Beijing in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the Iranian leader that “China supports Iran in safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity.”

China joined Russia and Iran in a joint letter on October 18 to say they believed the decision to reimpose sanctions was flawed.

“Iran has become a battlefield between the US” on one side and Russia and China on the other, said one of the officials who was briefed by Iran’s government on the missile negotiations.

The deal comes as the US assembles an 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 heading to the region. The two ships together can carry more than 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 are hoping that this regime will stay.”

Trump said on February 19 he was giving Iran 10 days to reach an agreement over its nuclear programme or face military action. The US is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if Trump orders an attack.

The CM-302 purchase would be a significant improvement in an Iranian arsenal depleted by last year’s war, said Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

China’s state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) markets the CM-302 as the world’s best anti-ship missile, capable of sinking an aircraft carrier or destroyer. The weapons system can be mounted on ships, aircraft or mobile ground vehicles. It can also take out targets on land.

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CASIC did not respond to a request for comment.

Iran is also in discussions to acquire Chinese surface‑to‑air missile systems, so-called MANPADS, anti‑ballistic weapons, and anti-satellite weapons, the six people said.

China was a major arms supplier to Iran in the 1980s, but large‑scale weapons transfers dwindled by the late 1990s under international pressure. In recent years, US officials have accused Chinese companies of providing missile-related materials to Iran but have not publicly accused it of supplying complete missile systems.