Politico: Iran is secretly negotiating with China and Russia to buy components for rocket fuel

Author:
Anna Kholodnova
Date:

China and Russia are secretly negotiating with Iran to replenish stocks of components for rocket fuel.

Politico writes about this with reference to unnamed diplomats familiar with the matter.

According to their data, Tehran held simultaneous negotiations with officials and government-controlled organizations of both countries. In particular, the purchase of a large amount of ammonium perchlorate, the main ingredient of solid fuel used to launch rockets, was discussed with the Russian state-owned chemical company Anozit.

In Beijing, Iranian diplomat Sajjad Akhazadeh, who is Tehranʼs technology adviser in China, led negotiations on the purchase of ammonium perchlorate. However, the diplomats noted that they do not know which Chinese companies are in question.

The exact amount of ammonium perchlorate Iran wants to buy is not known, but Politicoʼs sources believe it is enough for thousands of missiles, including the Zolfaghar missile, which has a range of 700 kilometers. According to diplomats, if the parties agree, some of these missiles can be used against Ukraine.

According to a UN resolution adopted in 2015, countries are prohibited from supplying Iran with ammonium perchlorate without the permission of the UN Security Council.