2 Ships Loaded With Missile Propellant Ingredient To Sail From China To Iran

Two Iranian cargo ships, Golbon and Jairan, are reportedly transporting over 1,000 tonnes of sodium perchlorate, a chemical used to produce missile propellant, from China to Iran.

The information was provided by security officials in two Western countries.

Sodium perchlorate is a key ingredient in making ammonium perchlorate, the main component for solid-fuel missile propellant.

According to officials, this shipment could produce 960 tonnes of ammonium perchlorate, which accounts for 70% of the propellant used in solid-fuel missiles. This quantity could fuel up to 260 mid-range missiles, like Iran’s Kheibar Shekan and Haj Qassem missiles.

Ammonium perchlorate is controlled under the Missile Technology Control Regime, an international anti-proliferation body. The Golbon departed from the Chinese island of Daishan on Tuesday, carrying 34 containers of sodium perchlorate.

The Jairan is expected to leave in early February with 22 containers. Both ships, owned by Iranian companies, are expected to travel directly to Bandar Abbas, a port in southern Iran, without making any stops during the three-week journey.

Officials stated that the chemicals were loaded onto the Golbon at Taicang Port, located just north of Shanghai.

Tracking data from Marine Traffic showed the Golbon off Daishan island for several days before it departed. The Jairan was spotted about 75 kilometres south of Daishan, near Ningbo in China’s Zhejiang province.

The two ships are already under U.S. sanctions, and the Chinese entities involved in the shipment could face penalties for assisting Iran’s missile program.

U.S. sanctions target dealings with the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which officials said is the intended recipient of the shipment.

Doug Jacobson, a sanctions lawyer, explained that while U.N. sanctions on Iran’s missile program have expired, U.S. sanctions remain in effect.

Vann Van Diepen, a retired U.S. non-proliferation official, said that Iran likely has its ammonium perchlorate production facilities but still imports raw materials when needed.

China’s embassy in Washington stated that it was “not familiar” with the shipments and reiterated Beijing’s commitment to peace in the Middle East.

However, a former CIA analyst, Dennis Wilder, pointed out that China has been assisting Iran with missile development since the 1980s, providing expertise, technology, and materials.

He added that China’s support might be tied to its purchase of discounted Iranian crude oil and its shared opposition to U.S. policies.

The U.S. and its allies have criticised China for its support of countries like Iran and Russia. An unnamed U.S. official suggested that if the missiles fueled by this shipment are used by Russia in its war against Ukraine, the involved entities could face further sanctions.

The U.S. has previously imposed sanctions on Chinese and Iranian entities for supplying materials and technology for Iran’s missile development.

Critics have also accused the U.S. administration of being lenient in enforcing sanctions related to China’s purchase of Iranian oil. Neither the Iranian government nor the U.S. State Department has provided an official comment on the situation.

References: Reuters, Financial Times

Source: Maritime Shipping News