Iranian cargo ships allegedly carrying chemicals to make missile propellent are setting sail from China to deliver the shipment to Tehran's army.

Tehran’s growing reliance on Beijing—a consequence of the battering its missile program has suffered from Israeli strikes—highlights the alignment of Iran and China with Russia and North Korea.

Two Iranian cargo vessels carrying an ingredient for missile propellant will sail from China to Iran in the next few weeks, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing intelligence from security officials in two Western countries.

In a boost for Tehran amidst the looming threat of a full-blown Iran-Israel war, the Islamic republic is set to receive a massive shipment of sodium perchlorate, which is used as missile fuel, from China.

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Two sanctioned Iranian ships have loaded a key ingredient for making missile propellant in China. Western intelligence sources told the Financial Times that the 2,724-teu container ship Golbon (built 2004) and the 22,600-dwt multipurpose Jairan (built 2000) will bring sodium perchlorate to Iran in the coming weeks.

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