Iran's missile program resumes with new Chinese chemical shipment, reports say
The first of two vessels carrying 1,000 tons of a Chinese-made chemical that could be a key component in fuel for Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s military missile program has anchored outside the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Thursday, ship tracking data shows. It could be a signal that Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s missile production is back to business as usual after the devastating, and embarrassing, attacks by Israel on key factories last year.
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The ship, Golbon, left the Chinese port of Taicang three weeks ago loaded with most of a 1,000-ton shipment of sodium perchlorate, the main precursor in the production of the solid propellant that powers Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s mid-range conventional missiles, according to two European intelligence sources.
The sodium perchlorate could allow for the production of sufficient propellant for some 260 solid rocket motors for Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s Kheibar Shekan missiles or 200 of the Haj Qasem ballistic missiles, according to the intelligence sources.
The shipment comes as Iran has suffered a series of regional setbacks with the collective defeat suffered by its allies: the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Hezbollah바카라 게임 웹사이트s losses in Lebanon. Following Israel바카라 게임 웹사이트s strike on Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s missile production facilities in October, some Western experts believed it could take at least a year before Iran could resume solid-propellant production. This delivery points to Iran being not far from 바카라 게임 웹사이트 or that they could already be back to 바카라 게임 웹사이트 the production of its missiles.
The shipment was purchased on behalf of the Procurement Department of the Self Sufficiency Jihad Organization (SSJO), part of the Iranian body responsible for the development of Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s ballistic missiles, according to the sources.
The second ship, Jairan, has yet to be loaded and leave China, with both vessels operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) company, the sources told CNN. The Jairan is due to ferry the remainder of the 1,000 tons to Iran. The Golbon left the Taicang port for Iran on Jan. 21.
CNN has reached out to IRISL for comment.
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The sources could not say if the Chinese government knew of the shipments prior to media reporting about their movement late January. The delivery of sodium perchlorate in itself is not illegal, nor does it breach Western sanctions.
In a response to a request for comment from CNN, China바카라 게임 웹사이트s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was 바카라 게임 웹사이트not aware of the specifics of the case바카라 게임 웹사이트 mentioned and reiterated that it opposed 바카라 게임 웹사이트illegal unilateral sanctions바카라 게임 웹사이트 and 바카라 게임 웹사이트arbitrary smearing and accusations that lack evidence.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트China has consistently abided by export controls on dual-use items in accordance with its international obligations and domestic laws and regulations,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the statement said, adding that 바카라 게임 웹사이트sodium perchlorate is not a controlled item by China, and its export would be considered normal trade.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Sanctions backdoor
The United States and United Kingdom have levied sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines company, with the State Department saying the firm is the 바카라 게임 웹사이트preferred shipping line for Iranian proliferators and procurement agents.바카라 게임 웹사이트
The U.K. treasury said the company was 바카라 게임 웹사이트involved in hostile activity바카라 게임 웹사이트 by Iran and highlighted its links to the Iranian defense sector.
Both the Golbon and Jairan are under U.S. sanctions.
Meanwhile, China has remained a diplomatic and economic ally for sanctions-hit Iran, decrying 바카라 게임 웹사이트unilateral바카라 게임 웹사이트 U.S. sanctions against the country and welcoming Tehran into Beijing- and Moscow-led international blocs like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS.
China also remains by far Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s largest energy buyer, though it has not reported purchases of Iranian oil in its official customs data since 2022, .
Despite China바카라 게임 웹사이트s historic ties to Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s defense sector, observers say Beijing has scaled back security ties over the past decade as it seeks to bolster relations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. The U.S. has in recent years, however, sanctioned a number of Chinese entities for alleged roles supporting Iranian military drone production. Recent joint naval drills between China, Iran and Russia have also signaled a potential deepening of government-to-government strategic ties.
A key ingredient
While Iran would need solid propellant for a range of missiles, including smaller air defense weapons, the lion바카라 게임 웹사이트s share of such deliveries would likely be headed towards Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s ballistic missile program, Fabian Hinz, research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told CNN.
Although sodium perchlorate trade is not restricted by Western sanctions, it can be chemically transformed into ammonium perchlorate - a fuel and oxidizer which is a controlled product.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Ammonium perchlorate is the material that was used in the solid rocket propellants of the Space Shuttle,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Andrea Sella, professor of inorganic chemistry at University College London, told CNN.
바카라 게임 웹사이트There really aren바카라 게임 웹사이트t very many alternative things바카라 게임 웹사이트 that the chemical in the Chinese deliveries can be used for, aside from for rocket propellants, fireworks and fuel, he said, adding: 바카라 게임 웹사이트Perchlorates have a fairly narrow range of uses.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Increasing controls on perchlorates in the West have seen China become a major alternative supplier of such chemicals, he said.
China has long been 바카라 게임 웹사이트a primary source of sodium perchlorate for Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s missile programs, dating at least to the mid-2000s,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, told CNN.
바카라 게임 웹사이트This is just the latest shipment in a decades-old pattern,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Lewis added.
Supply troubles
Defense analyst Hinz said that while Iran has previously boasted of its ability to produce ammonium perchlorate itself, this delivery hints at supply chain bottlenecks as domestic precursor supply has been unable to meet missile production needs. It바카라 게임 웹사이트s a problem even countries like the U.S. can face, he added.
Hinz said that Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s solid propellant production infrastructure has 바카라 게임 웹사이트dramatically expanded in the last few years - and potentially even since Oct. 7, (2023),바카라 게임 웹사이트 with new sites built and existing ones enlarged.
Kheibar Shekan missiles have a range of 880 miles (around 1,420 km), with their Haj Qasem cousins able to reach targets 900 miles (around 1,450 km) away, according to the Western intelligence source. Although not the most technically advanced weapons in Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s arsenal, their range does make them valuable for attacks on Israel.
Hinz said that variants of such missiles have been used by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen against Israel, despite the distance ostensibly outstripping the missiles바카라 게임 웹사이트 standard range. Modifications of the warhead mass or secondary propulsion units could lengthen their reach, he said.
Solid propellant is also used in Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s short-range missiles 바카라 게임 웹사이트 like those used in the past against U.S. bases in the region and in exports to Russia, Hinz said. Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s largest and most powerful ballistic missiles typically use liquid propellant.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, wreckage from at least one Kheibar Shakan missile was recovered following Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s Oct. 1, 2024 barrage against Israel. Analysis from one of the Western sources confirmed that some 50 medium-range missiles with solid propulsion were fired at Israel by Iran in this attack.
Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s arsenal is believed to hold 바카라 게임 웹사이트over 3,000 ballistic missiles,바카라 게임 웹사이트 U.S. Air Force Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told Congress in 2023 - but exact numbers of each type of missile are unknown.
A western intelligence official told CNN that, although relevant U.S. government agencies are aware of the delivery, there is limited concern over the shipment. If Iran does funnel the chemicals towards missile fuel production, especially on weapons destined for Russia, that will be of greater concern, the source said.
The Iranian government declined to comment in response to questions posed by CNN for this article.