The U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated six individuals and six entities for procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
OFAC said the network facilitated the delivery of sodium perchlorate and dioctyl sebacate from China to Iran. Sodium perchlorate is used to produce ammonium perchlorate, a compound regulated under the Missile Technology Control Regime and used with dioctyl sebacate in solid propellant rocket motors, which power ballistic missiles.
According to the Treasury, Iran-based Saman Tejarat Barman Trading Company acquired sodium perchlorate for the IRGC. Mohammad Asgari, who is associated with the company, arranged the shipments from China with Shenzhen Amor Logistics, which also coordinated deliveries with Chinese companies, including the previously sanctioned E-Sail Shipping. Iranian nationals and STB leaders Abed Zargar, Hamed Zargar, Zahra Zargar, Forough Modarres Fathi and Abbas Pour Kazemi were also designated.
Other Chinese entities involved include Dongying Weiaien Chemical, which supplied dioctyl sebacate, and Yanling Chuanxing Chemical Plant, which shipped sodium chlorate to manufacture perchlorates. China Chlorate Tech is also sanctioned for transferring funds to the plant, which it described as its factory. Another Chinese firm, Yanling Lingfeng Chlorate, shares personnel with the plant and CTC and has also received funds.
The sanctions were made under Executive Order 13382, which seeks to mitigate the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The designated individuals and entities’ properties under U.S. jurisdiction are now frozen, and U.S. citizens are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran’s weapons development threatens U.S. and allied security, destabilizes the region and violates global nonproliferation agreements. “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,” he added.
The designations come one week after the Treasury sanctioned the International Bank of Yemen and three top officials for financing the Iran-backed Houthis. The individuals named were chairman Kamal Hussain Al Jebry, executive general manager Ahmed Thabit Noman Al-Absi and deputy general manager Abdulkader Ali Bazara.