WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced sanctions Tuesday on what it described as a network procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

According to a Treasury Department news release, the six Iran- and China-based companies coordinated the shipment of dioctyl sebacate and sodium perchlorate, the latter of which is a precursor chemical for ammonium perchlorate. The chemicals are key ingredients in solid propellant rocket motors, which are commonly used for ballistic missiles.  

The New York Times reports that a shipment of sodium perchlorate is to blame for the explosion Saturday at a port in southern Iran, unleashing a massive fire that killed at least 70 people and injured more than 1,000.  

Iran is becoming increasingly dependent on China for its military needs. In January, the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal reported that two Iranian vessels docked in China were carrying 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate, which Iran could convert into enough solid fuel propellant for 260 mid-range missiles, such as the Kheibar Shekan missiles used in an IRGC attack in the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Erbil in January 2024.