CaliToday (31/10/2025): Iran is aggressively rebuilding its ballistic missile program in direct defiance of re-imposed United Nations sanctions, and it is doing so with critical help from Chinese suppliers, according to European intelligence sources.
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| Members of the Israeli special forces check the apparent remains of a ballistic missile lying on the ground before being evacuated from the location where they were found, following missile attacks by Iran on Israel in June. - Gil Eliyahu/Reuters |
In a significant escalation, multiple shipments of sodium perchlorate, the key precursor for solid rocket propellant, have been tracked from China to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. The deliveries began just days after the "snapback" mechanism was triggered last month, unilaterally restoring a raft of decade-old UN sanctions against Tehran.
The purchases are seen as part of a desperate effort by the Islamic Republic to rearm after its depleted missile stocks were heavily targeted during its 12-day war with Israel in June.
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| Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, in September. - Yao Dawei/Xinhua/Getty Images |
A Flood of Rocket Fuel
According to intelligence reports, the latest shipments total 2,000 tons of sodium perchlorate. This chemical is the main ingredient for producing ammonium perchlorate, a listed and prohibited oxidizer that is the primary component of the solid propellant powering Iran’s mid-range conventional missiles.
"Iran needs much more sodium perchlorate now to replace the missiles expended in the war and to increase production," said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. "I would expect large shipments to Iran as it tries to rearm."
Lewis contextualized the shipments as a sign of a temporary "pause in hostilities" as both Iran and Israel race to replenish their arsenals.
"Two thousand tons of sodium perchlorate are only enough for about 500 missiles," Lewis told CNN. "That’s a lot, but Iran was planning on producing something like 200 missiles a month before the war and now must replace all the missiles that either Israel destroyed or it used."
The 'Dark Fleet' and a Sanctions Loophole
The re-imposed UN sanctions explicitly ban any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. They also obligate member states to prevent the sale of materials that could "contribute to the country’s development of a nuclear weapons delivery system."
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| An aerial view of the Port of Bandar Abbas in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. - Nicolas Economou/Reuters |
While its precursor, ammonium perchlorate, is explicitly banned, sodium perchlorate is not specifically named in the UN documents. Experts say this ambiguity gives Beijing "room to argue" that it is not in violation of any UN ban, even as it directly enables Iran's missile production.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, when questioned by CNN, said it was "not familiar with the specific situation" but "opposes sanctions and pressure."
These transactions are reportedly being facilitated by a network of front companies and a "dark fleet" of cargo ships, many of which are linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRGC) and are already under U.S. sanctions.
CNN and intelligence sources have tracked several of these vessels:
MV Basht: Already sanctioned by the U.S., this ship left Zhuhai, China, on September 15 and arrived at Bandar Abbas on September 29, just after the sanctions snapped back.
The Barzin: Satellite images from Planet Labs confirmed this vessel was being loaded at Gaolan Port, China, on October 1 and was seen unloading its cargo in Bandar Abbas between October 16-19.
MV Artavand: This vessel arrived at Bandar Abbas on October 12 with its AIS tracking system deliberately turned off to obscure its movements, according to Western intelligence.
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| The Barzin being loaded with cargo at Gaolan Port, China, on October 1, before leaving for Iran. - Planet Labs |
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| The Barzin docked at Rajaei Port, Bandar Abbas, Iran, being unloaded on October 17. - Planet Labs |
China and Russia Defy the 'Snapback'
The "snapback" mechanism a provision in the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal allowing for the re-imposition of sanctions was triggered in August by Germany, France, and the UK due to Iranian breaches of the accord.
China and Russia have vehemently opposed the move, denouncing its legality in a joint letter to the UN on October 18. Had the snapback not been triggered, that date would have marked the official expiration of the JCPOA's restrictions.
"Beijing likely does not consider itself bound by the reimposed measures," said Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Zhao noted that while Beijing may be aware the exports support Iran’s missile program, it may view this as "a matter of principle," asserting its "sovereign right to make independent export-control decisions on items not expressly banned by the UN."
This defiant trade, flowing in the shadow of international law, ensures that Iran's missile factories remain active, fueling a volatile arms race in the Middle East.