Ahmad Dono

MORE: China is helping Iran reconstitute the Iranian missile program amid US-Israeli efforts to degrade it. The Telegraph reported that five shipments of likely sodium perchlorate, a key precursor for solid missile propellant, have arrived in Iran from China. All the vessels are owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line Group (IRISL), which the United States sanctioned in 2021. Four of the vessels are docked or floating near the port in Chabahar, Sistan and Baluchistan Province, and one of the vessels is docked or near Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, according to Starboard Maritime Intelligence. China has previously supplied sodium perchlorate to support Iran’s ballistic missile program. The combined force has targeted several elements of the Iranian ballistic missile program, including missile fuel and solid propellant motor production sites. China’s efforts to help Iran reconstitute could undermine the combined force efforts to degrade or destroy the supporting elements of the ballistic missile program, however.

What we know so far about US fighter jet downed over Iran: - An F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday, several US media outlets reported, with one crew member rescued and another remaining missing. - US media reports indicate that this is the first time a US aircraft has been shot down over Iran during the current conflict. - Trump said in a brief phone interview with NBC News that the incident won't affect any negotiations with Iran. - Two US Black Hawk helicopters involved in search and rescue efforts were also struck by Iranian fire, but the service members were unharmed. - A second US military plane – an A-10 Warthog attack plane – crashed in the Persian Gulf region on the same day, The New York Times reported, citing US officials. It went down near the Strait of Hormuz at about the same time that an Air Force F-15E was shot down over Iran. (File photo of an F-15E fighter jet)