Tehran/Beijing, Feb. 24 -- Iran is reportedly close to finalising a major weapons deal with China, as it is moving closer to the purchase of Beijing's advanced anti-ship CM-302 cruise missiles, in an attempt to modernise its ageing defence capabilities amid the massive US naval buildup near its waters.
The CM-302 missile system is a multi-platform supersonic anti-ship weapon with a reported range of around 290 kilometres (180 miles), and is designed to fly low and fast to evade shipborne air defences, with a speed of Mach 3.3, and a 250 kg high-explosive blast fragmentation warhead.
The missile would significantly strengthen Iran's ability to target vessels in the Gulf and surrounding waters, and could give a significant boost to Iran's h...