Exclusive; The Second Iranian Ship Carrying 'Missile Items' is Heading to Iran from China

Investigations by Voice of America indicate that the second Iranian ship, referred to in Western news reports as part of the 'program to import essential materials for solid rocket fuel production' from China, is en route to Iran with a large cargo. Tracking websites show that the cargo ship 'Jiran', flying the flag of the Islamic Republic, left China on Monday, March 11, a month later than its scheduled departure. Jiran is one of two ships mentioned in three media outlets: Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and CNN, which reported that the Islamic Republic is using them to import one thousand tons of sodium perchlorate from China. These three news agencies cited unnamed Western intelligence sources reporting that this shipment could produce enough ammonium perchlorate, a crucial material for making solid fuel and constructing 260 medium-range missiles. Another Iranian cargo ship referred to in news reports as 'Golbun' completed its 19-day journey from Eastern China to Bandar Abbas on February 14. According to the tracking site 'MarineTraffic', during this journey, it made a two-day stop at the port of Zhuhai in Southern China and delivered an unknown cargo to Iran. Both Golbun and Jiran have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department as ships operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, which is itself under sanctions. When Golbun departed from China towards Iran in late January and early February, its automatic identification system, which transmits positional data and other information as part of an international tracking system, reported that the ship was docked at Liung Island in Eastern China. In a joint analysis conducted by Voice of America and Martin Kelly, an intelligence analyst from the Dubai-based 'EOS Risk' group, no significant changes were reported for the Jiran while anchored at this island from February to early March. This indicates that no cargo has been loaded since then. Jiran remained at this island until March 4, then moved south towards Gaolan Zhuhai, docking on March 7. Two days later, the ship departed, reporting its destination as Bandar Abbas, expected to arrive on April 25. This Iranian ship also reported that upon leaving Gaolan Zhuhai, there was a change in its cargo status, and its transmitted data indicated it had sunk 2 meters deeper in the water. Martin Kelly told Voice of America that this suggests the ship had loaded a large cargo at the port. As of Friday, March 15, local time, Jiran was in the waters of the Riau Archipelago in Indonesia, moving southwest towards the Singapore Strait. The U.S. State Department did not respond to Voice of America's inquiries regarding Jiran's departure from China. The Islamic Republic's representation at the United Nations in New York also did not respond to a similar request for comment from Voice of America. Last month, the State Department informed Voice of America that it was aware of the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal reports regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's use of Golbun and Jiran for importing sodium perchlorate from China. A State Department spokesperson stated, 'The State Department does not comment on intelligence matters but remains focused on preventing the proliferation of items, equipment, and technology that could be used to advance the missile program or other military programs of the Islamic Republic and continues to hold the Islamic Republic accountable through sanctions.' Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, responded to these news reports at a press conference on January 24, emphasizing that China adheres to its export controls and international commitments. According to an analysis by the Chinese service of Voice of America, last month, Chinese state media made no mention of Jiran, while there was also no significant discussion about this Iranian ship on Chinese social media. The Financial Times, in its report on January 24, cited 'security officials from two Western countries' stating that Jiran would leave China in early February (mid-January), but it did not leave until March 11. Gregory Brew, a senior analyst on Iranian issues at the Eurasia Group based in New York, suggests that the Islamic Republic may have wanted to first see if Golbun could complete its journey from China without full obstruction. Brew stated, 'Ships carrying highly sensitive materials related to Iran's missile industry, which is under U.S. sanctions, are at risk of interception, and Iranian officials are likely aware of this.' Eight Republican senators led by Jim Risch and Pete Ricketts wrote a letter to Marco Rubio, referencing the joint chemical program of the Islamic Republic and China, urging him to work with U.S. global partners to intercept and halt the shipments if the media reports are proven accurate. The ship carrying missile propellant chemicals has arrived from China to Bandar Abbas. The U.S. is aware of reports of missile propellant chemicals being sent from China to Iran.