US sanctions firms in Iran, China over links to missile program
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US Treasury designates 6 entities and 6 individuals for their alleged role in network procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients
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The Treasury Department building is seen, March 13, 2025, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
In a move to counter Iran’s expanding missile capabilities, the United States on Tuesday sanctioned six companies and six individuals based in Iran and China for allegedly transferring key chemical components used in ballistic missile production.
The US Treasury Department claimed that the network allegedly facilitated shipments of sodium perchlorate and dioctyl sebacate from China to Iran. Sodium perchlorate, a precursor to ammonium perchlorate, is controlled under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) due to its use in solid-fueled ballistic missiles.
"To achieve peace through strength, Treasury will continue to take all available measures to deprive Iran’s access to resources necessary to advance its missile program," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement.
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is designating six entities and six individuals based in Iran and the People’s Republic of China for their role in a network procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients on behalf of Iran’s…
— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) April 29, 2025
According to a US Department of the Treasury press release yesterday, among those sanctioned are Iran-based Saman Tejarat Barman Trading Company (STB) and its associate Mohammad Asgari, who coordinated shipments through China-based Shenzhen Amor Logistics Co. Ltd.
Trump revisits 'maximum pressure'
This action is part of US President Donald Trump's renewed "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran, reinstated in February 2025, aiming to deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, despite Iran's denying it ever intended to do so.
Last week, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Iranian liquefied petroleum gas magnate Seyed Asadoollah Emamjomeh and his corporate network. It claimed in a statement that the network was "collectively responsible for shipping hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian LPG and crude oil to foreign markets".
Concurrently, the US and Iran have engaged in indirect nuclear negotiations, with the next round scheduled in Rome on May 3, 2025. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted that talks have progressed to detailed technical discussions.
Trump, who withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in his first term, had threatened military action if no replacement is reached. Though earlier this month Trump has recently stressed that diplomacy remains his preferred path and reportedly discouraged an Israeli strike on Iran.
Moreover, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said that Iran can have a civilian nuclear program if it agrees to abandon uranium enrichment.
Amid these diplomatic efforts, the deadly explosion at Iran's Shahid Rajaei port on April 26, 2025, which killed at least 70 people and injured over 1,000, sparked speculation that sodium perchlorate sourced from China, may have been involved.
On the other hand, Iranian authorities have not officially acknowledged that missile fuel compounds were involved in the April 26 explosion. Instead, officials have attributed the incident to negligence and improper storage of hazardous materials.
