A sanctioned Iranian ship returning to Bandar Abbas port has drawn international attention over fears its loaded with weapon components.

Satellite imagery from The Maritime Executive found the “Jairan,” a 16,694-ton vessel, had slipped into Iranian waters near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after completing its journey from China, mirroring the journey of its sister ship, the Golbon, which made an identical voyage just over a month ago.

The Jairan has been linked to Iran’s procurement of sodium perchlorate, a chemical used in solid rocket fuel. Intelligence sources believe Iran is attempting to import 1,000 metric tons of the chemical to support the production of hundreds of medium-range missiles.

As the Islamic Republic finds itself more isolated than ever following U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to a “maximum pressure” policy, Iran has been turning to its longtime allies in China and Russia for help.

“Iran is under extreme economic pressure from Western sanctions and sees itself under serious military threats from Israel and potentially the U.S.,” explains Dr. Negar Mortazavi from the Center for International Policy. “So they are increasingly relying on Eastern powers, China and Russia, even more than before.”

Last month, the U.S. Treasury Department levied sanctions on the Al-Qatirji Company, a Syrian-run operation that’s been secretly channeling hundreds of millions in oil money through China to fund Iran’s terrorist proxies. Working through 26 separate entities, each tanker delivery triggered a carefully planned series of transactions designed to hide the oil’s origins by laundering the money through Beirut and then through Istanbul’s banking system.