Iran has ordered thousands of tons of ballistic-missile ingredients from China, people familiar with the transaction told The Wall Street Journal, seeking to rebuild its military prowess as it discusses the future of its nuclear program with the US.
The report, which cited people familiar with the transaction, said Tehran had ordered enough ammonium perchlorate to potentially manufacture up to 800 missiles. It said the material is used to produce solid-fuel missiles.
“Shipments of ammonium perchlorate are expected to reach Iran in coming months and could fuel hundreds of ballistic missiles,” the people said. Some of the material would likely be sent to militias in the region aligned with Iran, including Houthis in Yemen.
According to the Journal, Iran’s drive to expand its missile stockpile and strengthen its regional proxies comes as it continues to enrich uranium to levels just below weapons grade and has refused to place limits on its missile development as part of nuclear negotiations.
President Donald Trump said he discussed the issue during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin
“Time is running out on Iran's decision pertaining to nuclear weapons,” Trump wrote Wednesday in a social-media post.
Part of rebuilding Iran’s 'Axis of Resistance'
The shipment of ammonium perchlorate is part of Iran’s broader efforts to rebuild its so-called "Axis of Resistance" network.
The ammonium perchlorate was ordered by an Iranian entity called Pishgaman Tejarat Rafi Novin Co. from the Hong Kong-based Lion Commodities Holdings Ltd, the Journal reported.
China’s Foreign Ministry told the Journal that Beijing was unaware of a contract for such a shipment.
“The Chinese side has always exercised strict control over dual-use items in accordance with China’s export control laws and regulations and its international obligations,” said the spokesperson.
Iran has been looking for ways to rebuild its network of regional proxies, the so-called Axis of Resistance, after Israel struck Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Assad regime in Syria.
While US and Israeli strikes have damaged the Houthis' capabilities in Yemen, they continue to periodically launch missiles at Israel.
The Journal said that beyond supporting regional militias, Iran has also reportedly transferred ballistic missiles to Shiite militia groups in Iraq, which have previously targeted both US and Israeli forces in the region.
Earlier this year, Iranian ships docked in China to load over 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate, a precursor for ammonium perchlorate.
The material was delivered to Iranian ports in mid-February and late March, according to shipping trackers. This quantity of sodium perchlorate is said to be enough to fuel around 260 short-range missiles.
The new order for ammonium perchlorate, which was placed months before President Trump’s proposed nuclear talks with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in early March, could supply Iran with enough material to produce approximately 800 missiles, one official estimated.
In response to Iran’s missile activities, the US Treasury Department sanctioned six individuals and six entities from both Iran and China on April 29 for their involvement in procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients.
Two weeks later, the Treasury expanded these sanctions to include additional Chinese and Hong Kong entities. It added sodium perchlorate to its list of materials linked to Iran’s military, nuclear, and missile activities.
A State Department official said, “Chinese entities and individuals have provided support to Iran’s ballistic missile program, as well as to the Houthis’ missile and UAV production efforts, which is why we continue to identify and sanction them.”
Possible Threats
Fabian Hinz, a military expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said “Iran likely needs material from abroad to avoid bottlenecks in its domestic production capabilities.”
However, storing such materials poses significant risks.
In April, a deadly explosion at Shahid Rajaee port, Iran’s key container hub, killed dozens. State media attributed the blast to the mishandling of explosive materials by a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.
An official confirmed that some of the previously imported sodium perchlorate was destroyed in the incident.
“These substances are a major fire and explosive hazard,” Hinz warned. “Iran’s defense industrial complex does not have a strong track record in ensuring safety standards.”
