The aircraft carrier Ford moored in Suda Bay, Crete

The deal for the Chinese-made CM-302 missiles is almost finalised, although a delivery date has not yet been agreed, sources said. The supersonic missiles have a range of about 290 kilometres and are designed to evade naval defences by flying low and fast. Their deployment would significantly enhance Iran's strike capabilities and pose a threat to US naval forces in the region, two weapons experts said.

According to the six people familiar with the talks, the negotiations with China for the purchase of the missile weapon systems, which started at least two years ago, accelerated after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June.

As the talks entered their final phase last summer, senior Iranian military and government officials travelled to China, including Massoud Oraei, Iran's Deputy Defence Minister, according to two security officials. Oraei's visit had not been previously reported.

The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, entered the Mediterranean Sea on 20 February 2026.

Last week, US President Donald Trump ordered the dispatch of the Gerald Ford to the Middle East, where the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several warships are already present.

Tehran said on 20 February it was ready to submit its proposal for a nuclear deal to the US as early as in the next few days. "The next step for me is to present an outline of a possible understanding to my counterparts in the United States," Iranian Foreign Minister,Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with US broadcaster Msnbc's 'Morning Joe' programme. "I believe that in the next two or three days it will be ready, and after the final green light from my superiors, it will be handed over to Steve Witkoff."

Meanwhile, hundreds of American soldiers have been evacuated from bases in the Middle East in view of a possible US attack by Iran and Tehran's subsequent response. This was reported by Pentagon officials to the New York Times, pointing out that the bases affected are Al Udeid in Qatar and those in Bahrain, where the Navy's Fifth Fleet is based.

The largest deployment of US troops in the Middle East since the Iraq war is driving up the black market price ofElon Musk's Starlink terminals in Iran, where people fear a war could trigger another nationwide internet blockade.

Prices of smuggled kits, banned by the regime because they allow uncensored web access, have risen to $4,000, according to sellers and human rights organisations dealing with Iran. Before the Iran-Israel war in June last year, the same units sold for between $700 and $1,000.

Although using or distributing a Starlink in Iran carries the risk of a long prison sentence, the satellite internet connection is one of the few ways to communicate with the outside world when the authorities cut off internet access, as happened in January during the widespread protests against the regime.