Reuters recently reported that Iran received 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.
Another possible motivation for China’s assistance to Iran is that China may want to secure its energy supply with Iran in the wake of the January 2026 US operation in Venezuela that led to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Iran had received 50 CM-302 anti-ship missiles before the second Iran-US conflict began as part of $5 bllion oil-for-weapons deal with China. This missile was planned to be used against America’s carrier strike group if the US Navy deploys an aircraft carrier near the Arabian Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz.
The prospective sale would deepen China-Iran military ties, potentially defy reimposed UN sanctions, and come as US carriers, including the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford, move into striking distance.
According to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA), the CM-302 is the export version of the YJ-12 anti-ship missile, which was designed to be launched from H-6K strategic bombers.
It says that the CM-302 is armed with a 500-kilogram warhead, can reach Mach 3, and has a range of 290 kilometers, depending on the variant and launch platform – either sea, air or land launchers.
MDAA says the CM-302 uses a combination of inertial and semi-active radar guidance and can follow a sea-skimming flight path. It mentions that these capabilities – supersonic flight– make it well-suited for anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) roles against high-value naval targets such as aircraft carriers.
Iran fired a total of 52 missiles and drones at the U.S. strike group led by USS Abraham Lincoln, and America’s Aegis destroyers intercepted all of them.
Notably, the CM-302 anti-ship missile failed mid-flight, either deviating from its target due to a guidance system failure or malfunctioning at cruising altitude, failing to accelerate to Mach 3 in the terminal phase.
This failure would be a significant worry for the People’s Liberation Army Navy and the communist party, which assumed CM-302 is a carrier-killer anti-ship missile and part of China’s A2/AD strategy.
If China plans to invade Taiwan, and the CM-302 anti-ship missile fails again. Billions of dollars of Chinese Type 054 frigates, Type 052 destroyers, and Type 055 destroyers will be sitting ducks in front of Japanese and American warships.
Why does China have quality issues?
Corruption in China’s defence industry is extensive, leading to a major purge of high-ranking military leaders and defence executives, particularly affecting the PLA and state-owned firms. Investigations, including those into former Defence Minister Li Shangfu, suggest systemic bribery, embezzlement, and weapon-quality issues that may cause short-term disruptions, though China continues to pursue rapid modernisation.
Corruption in the Chinese military-industrial system has likely led to substandard military equipment, hindering overall readiness.
As of late 2025/early 2026, numerous top military commanders, including leaders from the PLA and navy (such as Adm. Miao Hua), were removed or under investigation for serious, large-scale duty-related crimes.
Systemic misconduct and corruption have involved embezzlement, bribery, and the misappropriation of state assets by officials, including within the rocket force and major defence enterprises.
While some debate the extent of the damage, corruption is believed to have compromised the effectiveness and credibility of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
A Houthi missile, based on a Chinese missile, failed
In an April 2025 US Naval Institute (USNI) News article, Heather Mongilio notes that during Operation Rough Rider, the Houthis launched multiple strikes using Iranian Al-Mandab 2 anti-ship missiles against the USS Harry S Truman carrier strike group (CSG).
Al-Mandab 2 is a coastal defence cruise missile that appears to be a copy of the Iranian Noor, a variant of the Chinese C-802.
Most of the Al-Mandab 2 anti-ship missiles were intercepted, and some malfunctioned and failed to reach the target, exploding mid-flight.
Aside from limited targeting capabilities, the 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.
Iranian and Chinese anti-ship missiles are mostly based on older Soviet cruise missiles such as P-21/P-22/Styx/Sardine.
Against that backdrop, Iran’s IRGC believed that China’s CM-302 could provide a substantial boost to Iran’s anti-ship missile capabilities, as Can Kasapoglu writes in a September 2025 Hudson Institute report, suggesting Iran could reverse-engineer the system based on the precedent of the C-802 and CM-302.
Kasapoğlu further notes that China has already moved to help rebuild Iran’s depleted missile deterrent, supplying 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate in February 2025—an ingredient for solid rocket fuel—and could extend that support to microprocessors and guidance systems.
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