Two Cargo Ships Carrying Rocket Propellant Materials from China to Iran

Two Iranian cargo ships carrying a substance for rocket propellant are expected to depart from China to Iran in the coming weeks. The Financial Times reported this on Wednesday, February 22, citing security information from officials in two Western countries. According to the report, the Iranian-flagged ships, Golban and Jiran, are expected to carry over 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate, a substance used to produce ammonium perchlorate, a key component of solid rocket propellant. Ammonium perchlorate is among the chemicals controlled under the "Missile Technology Control Regime," an international voluntary body aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons. The report, quoting two officials, emphasized that sodium perchlorate could produce 960 tons of ammonium perchlorate, sufficient to manufacture 1,300 tons of rocket propellant, which could fuel 260 Iranian medium-range missiles. According to these officials, the sodium perchlorate is being sent to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and 34 twenty-foot containers containing this chemical have been loaded onto the Golban ship, which left the island of Daishan in China on Tuesday. The report indicates that Jiran is also expected to depart from China in early February with 22 containers. Officials told the Financial Times that both ships, owned by Iranian entities, will likely make their three-week journey to Iran without stopping at intermediate ports. Officials noted that the chemicals were loaded at the Taizhang port, just north of Shanghai, with their final destination being Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. The report states that ship tracking data from "Marine Traffic" shows that the Golban ship had stopped near Daishan Island for several days before departing on Tuesday. "Marine Traffic" also indicated that the Jiran ship was about 75 kilometers south of Daishan Island and near the coast of Ningbo in Zhejiang Province, China, early Wednesday. The Financial Times also reported that officials could not confirm whether Beijing is aware of these shipments. In 2023, the United States imposed sanctions on individuals and entities in China, Hong Kong, and Iran, including Iran's military attaché in Beijing, for allegedly assisting in supplying parts and technology for key players in Iran's missile program. Last July, the U.S. sanctioned five individuals and seven entities based in Iran, China, and Hong Kong accused of facilitating Iran's missile and drone programs. The U.S. government has pressured China over the past two years for selling dual-use goods to Russia that could be used in the war against Ukraine, but the volume of China's exports to Russia has not decreased.