According to 19FortyFive, China is helping Iran rebuild its missile program. The magazine’s commentators said Beijing had sent five ships to Teheran carrying a key component of solid rocket fuel used in the production of ballistic missiles.

Citing a recent report by the Institute for the Study of War, the authors said Iran had apparently received five shipments of a substance containing sodium perchlorate from China.

A source in US intelligence told the outlet that if those deliveries are indeed taking place, Teheran could restore production of new missiles fairly quickly. The article also noted that all of the vessels involved in transporting the cargo belong to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines group, which has been under US sanctions since 2021.

Earlier, Sohu reported that China had avoided direct military confrontation with the United States and Israel amid the conflict around Iran, but had begun providing Teheran with indirect support instead. According to that account, the assistance has taken mainly economic and diplomatic forms, as Beijing deliberately chose that approach over direct involvement in military action.