Iran is rebuilding its missile arsenal using thousands of tons of ballistic-missile ingredients ordered from China, The Wall Street Journal reported last night.
Shipments of ammonium perchlorate, a key ingredient for missile propellant, will be delivered to Iran from China in the next few months, enough to fuel 800 ballistic missiles.
The shipment could also be used to restock Iran's terrorist proxies, including the Houthis in Yemen.
In two separate attacks last year, Iran launched more than 300 missiles at Israel, and the Houthis have launched about 400 drones and missiles at Israel since October 7.
Following Iran's second attack in October 2024, Israel struck key sites in Iran used to process these chemical ingredients and produce missile fuel, but Iran has since started to repair the damaged equipment.
Iran has already received shipments from China, including more than 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate — an ingredient used to produce ammonium perchlorate — enough to fuel about 260 short-range missiles.
Meanwhile, the United States continues to implement the maximum pressure campaign against Iran, sanctioning today "over 30 individuals and entities... who have collectively laundered billions of dollars through the international financial system via Iranian exchange houses and foreign front companies under their control as part of Iran’s 'shadow banking' network."
"Iran’s shadow banking system is a critical lifeline for the regime through which it accesses the proceeds from its oil sales, moves money, and funds its destabilizing activities. Treasury will continue to leverage all available tools to target the critical nodes in this network and disrupt its operations, which enrich the regime’s elite and encourage corruption at the expense of the people of Iran," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
AIPAC thanks the Trump administration for continuing to impose maximum pressure on Iran.
Iran is evading sanctions to fund its global terror machine and nuclear weapons program. America must increase the pressure and cut off the cash flow to the regime.
Below are more key stories and links to share AIPAC social media content. We'll continue to provide the latest updates on our social media channels.
Shabbat Shalom,
Jake Braunstein
Director of Policy Communications
NEW AIPAC MEMO
An Indispensable Ally: Israel Helps Keep America Safe, Strong and Prosperous
Israel is a strong, self-reliant nation that advances our strategic interests — an innovation powerhouse that helps strengthen our military and bolster our economy.
In Israel, America has a partner that invests a greater percentage of its GDP in defense than America does in our own security. A world leader in innovation — and specifically battle-tested military technology — Israel helps strengthen America’s defenses while sharing cutting-edge know-how with U.S. troops.
Four IDF soldiers were killed and five were wounded this morning in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, as Israel continues to increase the pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
The soldiers had entered a building to clear it of possible terror infrastructure, including tunnels, but the building was booby-trapped and an explosion caused it to collapse on the soldiers.
Two of the slain soldiers were named as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Chen Gross, 33, and Staff Sgt. Yoav Raver, 19 (both pictured below). The names of the other two soldiers have not yet been released.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said following the announcement: "This is a time of great sorrow, but also of great commitment: to stand behind the generation of heroic fighters, to embrace the families of the fallen, and to ensure that their names and heroism will never be forgotten."
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announced that it distributed over 470,000 meals in Gaza today, for a total of over 8.9 million since it began operating.
GHF added that its operations "proceeded without incident."
Houthis launch another ballistic missile at Israel
The Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen launched another ballistic missile at Israel last night, in what has become a near-daily occurrence.
Since mid-March, the Houthis have launched 46 ballistic missiles and at least 11 drones at Israel.
Th overwhelmingly majority of these missiles have been intercepted by Israel's air defense systems, including the Arrow long-range defense system AIPAC lobbies Congress to support each year, saving countless lives.
From June 2, a Houthi ballistic missile is intercepted over Israel.
Masked gunmen attempting to collect looted humanitarian aid, hurling rocks and firing at Gazan civilians. Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza.
American-Israelis Judith Weinstein-Haggai and Gadi Haggai were murdered by Hamas and abducted to Gaza for 608 days. This week, their bodies were rescued by the IDF. May their memories be a blessing.
There are still 56 hostages in Hamas captivity. #FreeThemAll 🎗️
John Spencer and Arsen Ostrovsky: "Supporting the GHF means more than feeding the hungry. It means breaking Hamas’ grip on Gaza’s civilians."
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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