Western intelligence: Iran is rebuilding its missile program with Chinese assistance

Western intelligence services revealed that Iran is working to rebuild its ballistic missile program with the help of China, in direct defiance of the UN sanctions that were reimposed last month under the “automatic return” mechanism.

According to a report published by CNN, The American newspaper, citing European intelligence sources, said that the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas received large shipments of “sodium perchlorate.” Coming from China – a basic material used in the production of solid fuel for medium-range missiles.

According to information, shipments began arriving last September 29, and their quantity amounted to about 2,000 tons, in a deal that Tehran concluded with Chinese suppliers following its armed conflict with Israel, as part of efforts to compensate for the shortfall in its missile stock that was damaged during the war.

Reports stated that between 10 and 12 tons A shipment of the material arrived in Iran after the re-imposition of sanctions, in an indication of the accelerating pace of Iranian rearmament despite UN restrictions.

The sources revealed that the transfers are carried out through complex networks of front companies, some of which are subject to US sanctions, in addition to a dark tanker fleet used by both parties to hide the origin of the oil or sensitive materials heading to Iran.

The sources indicated that China is Tehran’s most prominent economic ally, as it continues to buy most of its oil exports, and believes that the trade in materials is illegal. These developments come after the reactivation of UN sanctions on Iran at the end of September, as a result of its violation of the terms of the nuclear agreement signed in 2015, which prevents Tehran from any activity related to missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and obligates member states of the United Nations to prevent supplying it with materials or equipment that could contribute to the development of these systems. However, China and Russia refused to re-impose the sanctions, considering that they obstruct the diplomatic path aimed at addressing the Iranian nuclear issue.

Although sodium perchlorate is not mentioned by name among the materials prohibited for export to Iran, it is used in the manufacture of ammonium perchlorate, an internationally banned oxidant used in the manufacture of ballistic missiles.

Experts believe that the absence of an explicit text in the United Nations resolutions gives Beijing a legal margin that allows it to continue exporting the substance. Without considering this a direct violation of the sanctions.

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