China is helping to revive Iran's missile program, intelligence sources warn

A ship carrying a Chinese supply with 1.000 tons of perchlorate, a chemical compound manufactured in China and used as fuel for missiles, arrived in Iran as concern grows due to the revival of the Iranian missile program, Western intelligence sources told CNN.

The ship, which departed from China three weeks ago, docked Thursday at the port of Bandar Abbas on Iran's southern coast, the sources added.

This shipment would enable Iran to fuel approximately 260 Kheibar Shekan-type medium-range ballistic missiles or about 200 Haj Qasem-type ballistic missiles.

This seems to indicate that the Iranian regime has begun to revive its missile program after a counteroffensive by Israel in late 2024 caused significant damage to Tehran's military infrastructure, especially its air defense systems.

Iran has not only suffered a major setback during Israel's response last year, but also following the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, a close ally of Tehran, and after the heavy blows dealt by Israeli forces against the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon, also with ties to the Iranian regime.

In the West, it is estimated that Iran needs at least a year to be able to produce the fuel again on its own. However, this ship sent from China indicates that Tehran is not far from reaching that goal, or even that it is ready to manufacture missiles again.

The Chinese vessel is the first that had been ordered by the Iranian department responsible for ballistic missile development. However, it is estimated that China will send another one with the same amount of perchlorate, although it has not yet been ordered by Tehran.

China defends its actions

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that it is not aware of the details of the case but expressed its opposition to "illegal unilateral sanctions," in an apparent reference to the measures imposed by the United States and to "arbitrary defamations and accusations lacking evidence."

The ministry added that perchlorate is not a material subject to control in China and that its export is legal.