Iran is nearing an agreement with China to acquire supersonic anti-ship missiles.

The agreement for Chinese-made CM-302 missiles is approaching completion, but no delivery date has been agreed upon, according to sources.

LONDON (Reuters) – As the United States positions a massive naval force close to the Iranian coast in anticipation of potential attacks on the Islamic Republic, six sources with knowledge of the discussions say Iran is nearing an agreement with China to buy anti-ship cruise missiles.

According to the persons, the agreement for the Chinese-made CM-302 missiles is almost finalized, but no delivery date has been set. With a range of around 290 kilometers, the supersonic missiles are intended to fly quickly and low to avoid shipborne defenses. According to two weapons specialists, their deployment would threaten US naval troops in the area and greatly increase Iran’s attack capabilities.

According to six people with knowledge of the negotiations, including three officials briefed by the Iranian government and three security officials, negotiations with China to purchase the missile weapons systems, which had started at least two years prior, accelerated significantly following the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June. According to two security officials, key Iranian military and government officials, including Massoud Oraei, Iran’s deputy defense minister, visited China as negotiations neared their conclusion last summer. No prior reports have been made on Oraei’s visit.

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

Given the increased tensions in the area, Reuters was unable to ascertain if China would follow through on the arrangement, how many missiles were part of the possible transaction, or how much Iran had promised to pay.

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

Reuters was instructed by the Chinese envoy to the UN to contact the Beijing-based Foreign Ministry for comment. Requests for response from the military and foreign ministries were not answered.

When Reuters queried the White House about the Iran-China missile system discussions, the White House did not explicitly respond. Regarding the present stalemate with Iran, a White House official stated that US President Donald Trump has made it plain that “either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time.”

The missiles would be among the most cutting-edge military equipment China has sent to Iran, in violation of a 2006 United Nations arms embargo. The sanctions were reinstated in September after being eased in 2015 as part of a nuclear agreement with the United States and its allies.