Iran is working to rebuild weakened militias
Iran has been working for years on a network of allied militias in the region, also known as the 'Axis of Resistance'. This group includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. These militias have been hit hard by Israeli attacks. With the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Iran has also lost an important ally. By importing new equipment from China, Iran hopes to rebuild its own arsenal and at the same time provide friendly militias with new weapons.

Iran recently ordered thousands of tons of rocket fuel from China. The fuel is ammonium perchlorate, a chemical essential for powering ballistic missiles, several anonymous sources told The Wall Street Journal. The first shipments are expected to arrive in Iran within months and could be enough to build hundreds of missiles.

Some of this material is unlikely to remain in Iran. According to sources, some of the material is expected to be sent to militias in the Middle East that have ties to Iran.