What Is Iran Doing With 1000 Tons of Sodium Perchlorate From China?
A commercial port near Shanghai recently welcomed two Iranian vessels tasked with picking up over 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate – a key precursor for the production of solid fuel ballistic missiles.
Sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) is a common chemical precursor to ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4), an oxidizer used in solid fuel rocket motors. Ammonium perchlorate mixtures are easy to manufacture, in common use around the world, and dependable.
Iranian missile propellant generally contains around 70 percent ammonium perchlorate by weight, depending on the ammonium perchlorate mixture, and so this ammonium perchlorate can yield Iran’s military 1,505.3 tons of finished propellant.
The original Financial Times article reported that the sodium perchlorate being shipped to Iran would be enough to fuel 260 MRBMs (medium-range ballistic missiles).
Sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) is a common chemical precursor to ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4), an oxidizer used in solid fuel rocket motors. Ammonium perchlorate mixtures are easy to manufacture, in common use around the world, and dependable.
Iranian missile propellant generally contains around 70 percent ammonium perchlorate by weight, depending on the ammonium perchlorate mixture, and so this ammonium perchlorate can yield Iran’s military 1,505.3 tons of finished propellant.
The original Financial Times article reported that the sodium perchlorate being shipped to Iran would be enough to fuel 260 MRBMs (medium-range ballistic missiles).
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