China Close to Giving Iran a Ship-Killer as U.S. Carriers Close In

As U.S. carriers steam toward Iran, China’s CM-302 missile offer could turn a faltering energy-rich partner into a sharper spear in a widening great-power contest over power, data and energy.

Reuters recently reported that Iran is close to finalizing a deal to buy Chinese-made CM-302 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, according to six people familiar with the talks, a move that would sharpen tensions as the US masses naval forces near Iran amid warnings of possible strikes.

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Aside from limited targeting capabilities, Jonathan Ruhe and Ari Cicurel argue in a Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) report that Iran’s anti-ship missile capability, largely based on cruise missiles such as Noor, Ghader, Ghadir and Abu Mahdi, remains limited and vulnerable despite its growing inventory.

They stress that Iran’s launch capacity is constrained by a finite number of vulnerable mobile and fixed launchers, creating chokepoints that can be targeted to suppress salvos, and that despite the detection challenges posed by low-altitude flight, Iran’s overall system remains vulnerable to interception and preemption because of these structural and operational weaknesses.

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Read the full article in the Asia Times.