Two Iranian Cargo ships set to leave China filled with propellant used for ballistic missile production.

By. Scott Jackson

January 24,2025

M/V Golbon and M/V Jairan, Two Iranian flagged containerships have reportedly been loaded with over 1000 tonnes of sodium perchlorate at a Chinese port over the past several days. 

Sodium perchlorate is used to make ammonium perchlorate which can be used as a solid propellant in ballistic missiles and is controlled under the Missile Technology Control Regime, an international Anti- Proliferation group. 

Iran missile development has been severely hindered after the October attack carried out by Israeli fighter jets that targeted a number of bases and buildings linked to the production of their ballistic missiles. This supply of chemicals will allow them to make around 250 medium range ballistic missiles give it take depending on the range of the missiles the produce. Iran has several different ballistic missiles they use such as the Haj Qassem, Kheibar Shekan or the still in testing Fattah-1. 

Tracking the ships on Marine Tracker shows the M/V Golban was loaded at Taicang Port last Tuesday and is currently off the coast of Ningbo in China’s Zhejiang province.Jairan is expected to leave China in early February and is currently moored at Liuheng island near Ningbo to the south of Shanghai. 

China denied any knowledge of the shipment with the embassy in Washington D.C. saying that it was “not familiar” with the shipment. 

Why is this important? Iran is suspected to already have facilities to produce the chemicals needed for their rocket propellant. While Israel’s attack indeed targeted facilities used to produce the rocket propellant much of Irans missile building capacity is left untouched-meaning Iran is either attempting to replace their lost stocks after the last round of hostilities with Israel or they are planning on needing them in the near future. 

This story was reported on by a number of outlets but originated with FT (Financial Times). FT’s sourcing are unnamed officials connected with western security and an alleged knowledge of the situation. GCR will track the vessels whenever they get underway as they make the 3 week trip to Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.