Two Iranian ships carry key missile ingredients from China, sanctions loom

Shafaq News/ Two Iranian cargo vessels carrying a key chemical ingredient for missile propellant are scheduled to sail from China to Iran in the coming weeks, according to intelligence from two Western security officials, as reported by the Financial Times.

The ships, Golbon and Jairan, both flying the Iranian flag, are reportedly set to transport over 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate. This chemical is essential for producing ammonium perchlorate, which is itself a key ingredient in solid missile propellants and is regulated by the Missile Technology Control Regime, a voluntary international body dedicated to preventing nuclear proliferation.

“The sodium perchlorate could produce 960 tonnes of ammonium perchlorate, which makes up 70 per cent of the propellant for solid-fuel missiles. That amount of ammonium perchlorate could produce 1,300 tonnes of propellant, enough to fuel 260 mid-range Iranian missiles such as the Kheibar Shekan or Haj Qassem,” Financial Times quoted the officials as saying.

The officials further pointed out that the chemicals are destined for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “34 20-ft containers containing the chemical had been loaded on to the Golbon, which departed the Chinese island of Daishan on Tuesday. The Jairan is expected to depart China with 22 containers in early February. Both ships, which are owned by Iranian entities, were expected to make the three-week voyage to Iran without making any port calls,” they added.

“The chemicals were loaded on to the Golbon at Taicang, a port just north of Shanghai, and were destined for Bandar Abbas, a port in southern Iran on the Persian Gulf,” they continued.

These transactions could reportedly subject the involved Chinese entities to US sanctions designed to curb Iran's weapons programs. Both Iranian ships are already under US sanctions. In 2023, the US sanctioned individuals and entities in China, Hong Kong, and Iran, including Iran’s defense attaché in Beijing, for allegedly aiding in the acquisition of parts and technology for Iran’s ballistic missile program. Similar sanctions were imposed in 2024.

It remains unclear, the British newspaper noted, whether Beijing was aware of the shipments. The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it was “not familiar” with the situation mentioned in the report and that Beijing was committed to “maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East and Gulf region and actively promoting the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.”

In turn, the Iranian government refused to comment on the Financial Times report.