Tehran’s growing reliance on Beijing—a consequence of the battering its missile program has suffered from Israeli strikes—highlights the alignment of Iran and China with Russia and North Korea.

Two Iranian cargo vessels carrying an ingredient for missile propellant will sail from China to Iran in the next few weeks, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing intelligence from security officials in two Western countries.

Named the Golbon and the Jairan, the Iranian vessels will carry more than 1,000 tonnes of sodium perchlorate to fuel medium-range missiles.