Exclusive: US 'aware' of reports Iran trying to ship missile propellant chemical from China

WASHINGTON — 

The Trump medication has made its archetypal remark connected Western media reports that Iran is trying to vessel a rocket propellant constituent from China, telling VOA it is alert of the reports published past month, portion declining to corroborate their veracity.

Responding to a VOA query astir the purported Iranian scheme, a State Department spokesperson said successful a Jan. 30 statement, “We are alert of the property reports. However, we bash not remark connected quality matters.”

Britain’s Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal successful the United States published reports connected Jan. 22 and 23 respectively, citing unnamed Western officials arsenic saying Iran-flagged ships Golbon and Jairan were successful the process of being loaded with 1,000 metric tons of sodium perchlorate adjacent Ningbo connected China’s eastbound coast. The Financial Times described its sources arsenic “security officials” successful 2 Western countries, portion The Wall Street Journal attributed the aforesaid accusation to a “Western official” and different “people acquainted with the matter.”

The quality outlets said the purported shipment could beryllium transformed into capable ammonium perchlorate — a cardinal coagulated substance propellant constituent — to nutrient 260 midrange Iranian missiles.

Both the Golbon instrumentality vessel and the Jairan cargo vessel are sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department. The vessels’ quality connected the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals List means they are blocked from U.S.-related commerce.

In its statement, the State Department said the U.S. “remains focused connected preventing the proliferation of items, equipment, and exertion that could payment Iran’s rocket oregon different weapons programs and continues to clasp Iran accountable done sanctions.”

A spokesperson for Iran’s U.N. Mission successful New York did not respond to a VOA petition emailed connected Friday to corroborate whether Iran is utilizing the Golbon and Jairan to vessel sodium perchlorate from China, and whether Western media reports person prompted immoderate changes to the alleged scheme.

Iran has a decades-old economical and subject concern with China, which was formalized successful a 2021 practice statement that called for much associated subject exercises and weapon-systems improvement arsenic some nations question to antagonistic what they spot arsenic U.S. planetary hegemony. But the 2 sides person not confirmed immoderate Chinese weapons income to Iran since the agreement’s signing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded to the Western media reports successful a Jan. 23 property briefing, saying Beijing was unaware of the concern with the Iranian ships. She besides asserted that Beijing ever abides by its ain export controls and planetary obligations and rejects different countries imposing what it considers to beryllium amerciable unilateral sanctions.

Ammonium perchlorate, for which sodium perchlorate is simply a precursor, is taxable to export controls nether the Missile Technology Control Regime, an informal relation of 35 governments sharing communal interests successful the nonproliferation of missiles. Neither Iran nor China are members of the voluntary export-control organization, which includes mostly Western nations and their Asian allies, arsenic good arsenic Russia.

Iran makes its ain chemicals for the accumulation of coagulated substance rocket propellant, according to Behnam Ben Taleblu, a researcher astatine the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. But helium told VOA successful an interrogation that aft Israel destroyed overmuch of Iran’s rocket manufacturing successful an aerial onslaught past October, Iranian subject planners person an urgent request for backup supplies.

“It makes consciousness for Iran to effort to get much of these precursor chemicals from China due to the fact that Tehran sees Beijing arsenic a much trusted spouse than different nations,” Ben Taleblu said.

In different development, a associated reappraisal of vessel tracking websites by VOA and Dubai-based quality expert Martin Kelly of EOS Risk Group successful caller days has uncovered caller details of the movements and loading statuses of the Golbon and Jairan since Western media archetypal reported their roles successful the alleged Iranian import scheme.

The reviews of websites MarineTraffic and Lloyd’s List Intelligence’s Seasearcher amusement the Golbon had a draught alteration connected Jan. 22 astatine oversea adjacent Zhoushan Island disconnected the seashore of Ningbo. The vessel was noted sitting 2 meters deeper successful the water, an denotation that it was loaded with cargo successful a ship-to-ship transportation from different vessel, Kelly said.

No cargo vessel could beryllium seen adjacent to the Golbon connected that day connected MarineTraffic. Vessels engaged successful illicit ship-to-ship transfers often power disconnected their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders — devices that transmit positional and different information arsenic portion of an internationally mandated tracking strategy — to evade detection, arsenic noted successful a 2023 U.S. authorities advisory highlighting communal tactics deployed by malign actors successful the maritime industry.

After the Jan. 22 draught change, the Golbon headed northbound toward a stated destination of Taicang larboard adjacent Shanghai connected the aforesaid day, but it stopped abbreviated and remained stationary astatine oversea for the adjacent 3 days, according to MarineTraffic. On Jan. 25, the Golbon changed its stated destination and headed southbound toward confederate China’s Zhuhai Gaolan Port.

The anonymous sources cited by the Financial Times connected Jan. 22 said they expected the Golbon and the Jairan to present their purported cargos of sodium perchlorate consecutive to Iran connected a three-week voyage without making immoderate larboard calls.

But the Golbon arrived astatine Zhuhai Gaolan Port connected Jan. 30 and remained determination for 2 days earlier departing with different draught change, according to MarineTraffic. Upon departure, the Golbon was sitting respective meters deeper successful the water, indicating a further loading of cargo during the larboard call. It besides reported a caller destination of Iran’s Bandar Abbas larboard and an estimated accomplishment of Feb. 14.

As the Golbon had a draught alteration adjacent Zhoushan Island connected Jan. 22, the Jairan was docked astatine Liuheng Island, astir 30 kilometers to the south.

The Financial Times cited its sources arsenic saying the Jairan would depart for Iran with recently loaded cargo aboriginal this month. But the vessel remained docked astatine Liuheng connected Monday, sitting astatine the aforesaid extent successful the h2o arsenic erstwhile it was successful the waters disconnected confederate China successful November and heading northbound toward the Ningbo coast, according to Seasearcher. It was an denotation that the Jairan has not been loaded with immoderate important cargo since November, Kelly said.

There was nary connection connected which Chinese manufacturers whitethorn beryllium progressive successful the purported strategy to proviso the sodium perchlorate to Iran. The U.S. has agelong sanctioned Chinese companies for providing rocket components to Iran, but a VOA hunt of U.S. authorities websites recovered nary circumstantial references to sanctions connected Chinese manufacturers of sodium perchlorate.

The Treasury Department did not respond to a VOA inquiry, sent connected Friday, regarding whether the U.S. has sanctioned Chinese makers of the chemical.

The U.S. sanctioned Iranian authorities defence institution Parchin Chemical Industries successful 2008 and its suspected agents successful 2022 for procuring ballistic rocket propellant-related materials from overseas for usage by Iran’s apical subject force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.