Ricketts, Foreign Relations Committee Republicans Call for Sanctions on Communist China for Transferring Missile Propellants to Iran
February 5, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and six other Senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio encouraging the sanctioning of Chinese entities involved in transferring missile propellant ingredients to Iran. The letter comes in response to multiple reports that two Iranian cargo ships are set to deliver 1,000 tons of missile propellant ingredients from Communist China to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The critical ingredients would enable the IRGC to produce hundreds of midrange missiles.
“Reimposing maximum pressure on the Iranian regime requires imposing costs on Communist China,” the senators wrote. “We encourage the administration to identify and sanction any entities involved in transferring missile propellants to Iran, including any Chinese companies sourcing the propellants and any Chinese ports that allow sanctioned Iranian ships to dock. Additionally, if the press reports referenced above are accurate, we urge you to work with our global partners to intercept and stop the shipments currently underway. Finally, the administration should pressure Beijing to reverse its decision to green light Iran’s drawdown of stored oil or face severe consequences.”
In addition to Ricketts and Risch, other signatories include Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Rick Scott (R-FL). All are members of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Read the full letter here or below:
Dear Secretary Rubio,
We write to express our growing concern over recent reports that two Iranian cargo ships are set to deliver 1,000 tons of a critical ingredient for missile propellant – sodium perchlorate – from Communist China to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This amount of sodium perchlorate would enable the IRGC to produce hundreds of midrange missiles and bolster its efforts to sow discord, promote terrorism, and even directly attack our ally, Israel, once again.
According to the Financial Times, the first Iranian vessel, the Golbon, departed from Communist China on January 21 and the second, the Jairan, is expected to leave in early February.[1] Both of these vessels are linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line (IRISL), which is sanctioned by the U.S.
The last 15 months have clearly shown that Tehran’s missile program poses a direct threat to the United States, Israel and other allies and partners in the Middle East and Europe. Since October 7, 2023, the Houthis in Yemen have launched hundreds of missiles at Israel and at commercial cargo vessels and U.S. Navy warships in and around the Red Sea.[2] Hezbollah has fired over 8,000 missiles at Israel.[3] Most concerning, on April 13, Iran directly attacked Israel for the very first time firing over 120 ballistic missiles.[4] On October 1, Iran was even more belligerent, firing 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in the largest ballistic missile attack in history.[5]
Today, however, Iran is weakened and vulnerable. Its missile inventories are depleted from its aforementioned attacks against Israel, its shipment of ballistic missiles to Russia, and Israeli Defense Force airstrikes that have degraded its missile production facilities. As a result, Tehran has turned to the partner that it has relied on for supplying solid-propellant for its missiles for decades—Communist China.[6]
Communist China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea continue to increase their coordination as part of a growing axis of authoritarians. Not only is Communist China propping up Iran’s missile program, it also recently gave Tehran the go-ahead to begin drawing down and selling millions of barrels of Iranian oil that have been stored in onshore facilities in Chinese ports for years. Alarmingly, the revenue from these oil sales has already been earmarked for the IRGC.[7]
Reimposing maximum pressure on the Iranian regime requires imposing costs on Communist China. We encourage the administration to identify and sanction any entities involved in transferring missile propellants to Iran, including any Chinese companies sourcing the propellants and any Chinese ports that allow sanctioned Iranian ships to dock. Additionally, if the press reports referenced above are accurate, we urge you to work with our global partners to intercept and stop the shipments currently underway. Finally, the administration should pressure Beijing to reverse its decision to green light Iran’s drawdown of stored oil or face severe consequences.
We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. We stand ready to work with the administration to thwart Iran’s missile program and protect our allies.