Iran upgrades his rocket program, reports goods delivered by China

Iran upgrades his rocket program, reports goods delivered by China

A ship that transports 1,000 tons of a chemical delivery in China, which serves as the key component for the fuel of the Iranian military, created on Thursday in front of the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. This could be an indication that the production of Iranian rockets is going back to normal after Israel carried out devastating and embarrassing attacks on important factories last year.

Important chemical: sodium perchlorate

The ship that bears the name Golbon left the Chinese port of Taicang three weeks ago and transported most of a 1,000-ton delivery of sodium perchlorate. This chemical is the main component for the production of the solid fuel, which drives the conventional medium -range missiles of Iran, two European sources of intelligence.

Production capacities of Iran

The sodium perchlorate could be enough to produce fuel for about 260 solid rocket engines of the Kheibar Shekan rockets or 200 haj Qasem bale rockets. This delivery takes place, while Iran has suffered a number of regional setbacks, in particular the defeat of his allied Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the losses of Hezbollah in Lebanon. After the Israeli attack on the Iranian rocket production facilities in October, some western experts thought that it could take at least a year for Iran to resume the production of solid fuel. However, this delivery indicates that Iran may not be far from being able to resume its rocket production.

participation of the SSJO

The delivery was bought on behalf of the procurement authority of the self-suffering jihad organization (SSJO), which is part of the Iranian body that is responsible for the development of the ballistic rockets of Iran. The second ship, the Jairan, is not yet ready and still has to be loaded in China. According to the sources, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (Irisl) operates both ships. The Jairan will transport the rest of the 1,000 tons to Iran.

reactions and sanctions

The US government and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions against Irisl, with the US State Department describing the shipping company as the "preferred shipping line for Iranian proliferators and procurement agents". The British Ministry of Finance found that the company was "involved in enemy activities" of Iran and emphasized the connections to the Iranian defense sector. Both the Golbon and the Jairan are subject to US sanctions.

china and the procurement of chemicals

China is still the largest energy buyer in Iran, although the country has no longer reported Iranian oil in its official customs statistics since 2022, says analysts. Despite the historical relationships between China and the Iranian defense sector, observers find that Beijing has reduced his security relationships in the past decade while trying to strengthen relationships with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States.

The role of sodium perchlorate

While Iran needs solid fuel for a number of rockets, including smaller air defense weapons, the majority of such deliveries should probably benefit the Iran's ballistic rocket system. Fabian Hinz, research employee at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, explained that trading in sodium perchlorate is not restricted by western sanctions, but can be chemically converted into ammonium perchlorate - a fuel and oxidizing agent that is considered a controlled product.

insight into the military capacities of Iran

Although Iran has emphasized its ability to produce ammonium perchlorate itself in the past, this delivery indicates bottlenecks in the supply chain, since the domestic procurement of the precursors is not sufficient to meet the need for rocket productions. In recent years, however, the infrastructure for the production of solid fuel in Iran has expanded dramatically, according to Hinz.

The Kheibar Shekan missiles have a range of 1,420 km, while their Haj Qasem models can achieve goals up to 1,450 km. Despite their technical simplicity, they are important due to their reach for attacks on Israel. Variants of these rockets were used by Iran-supported Houthis in Yemen against Israel, although the distance was originally outside the racets. However, the range could be extended by modifications to the explosive head mass or secondary drive units.

fixed drives are also used in Iran's short-range missiles that were previously used against US bases in the region and in exports to Russia. According to the Israeli defense forces, at least one wreck of a Shacan rocket shock was recovered on October 1, 2024 after Iran's rocket attack on October 1, 2024. A western intelligence report confirmed that around 50 medium -range missiles were fired with a solid drive during this attack on Israel.

The Iranian armed forces are said to have more than 3,000 ballistic rockets, although the exact number of every type of rocket is unknown. A western intelligence officer announced CNN that, although the relevant US government agencies are informed about the delivery, the concerns regarding the delivery are limited. Should Iran redirect the chemicals in the direction of rocket production, especially for weapons that are intended for Russia

The Iranian government refused to comment on this article on questions from CNN.