LONDON – China is marketing missiles it earlier designed for Iran.

China's Hongdu Aviation Industry Group has exhibited three variants of two new guided missiles that were designed and developed for Iran, the London-based Jane's Defence Weekly reported.

The United States has expressed concern over Chinese missile and nuclear exports to Iran. In January, the Bush administration imposed sanctions against eight Chinese companies for helping Iran with its missile programs.

China has become a leading supplier of missile systems and technology for Iran. Iran has claimed several Chinese missiles as its own, including the C-701 anti-ship missile.

The anti-ship missiles, displayed at the China Air Show 2004 in November 2004, were identified as the JJ/TL-6B, JJ/TL-10A and KJ/TL-10B.

Industry sources said the Chinese missiles are identical to Iran's Nasr and Kosar, also known as the TL-6 and TL-10. The TL-10 and C-701 missiles were said to be part of Iran's Kosar program, Middle East Newsline reported.

The sources said brochures by the state-owned Iran Aerospace Industries Organization contain photographs of the Iranian missiles that were identical to those exhibited in China.

"It is now clear that two missile programmes revealed a few years ago by China National Aero Technology Import & Export Co (CATIC) - the FL-8 and FL-9 - were the TL-10 and TL-6, respectively, under yet another name," the article stated.

"We have long had concerns about Iran's development of longer-range ballistic missiles and Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "The penalties mean the companies will not be able to do business with U.S. government departments or agencies, and that American technology cannot be exported to the companies."

At the China Air Show, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation displayed a radar-guided version of the C-701, dubbed C-701R. China Aerospace is the parent of China Precision Machinery Import Export Co.

The range of the C-701R was said to be 25 kilometers and contains a longer body. The missile has a radar seeker that replaces the electro-optical seeker of the C-701T.