Strategic Weapons: Maraging Steel For Iran

Archives

May 30, 2009: Iran is building dozens of long range ballistic missiles each year, and is only able to do so by obtaining, despite UN and U.S. embargos, crucial raw materials and components. In the last year, Iranian attempts to smuggle several key missile components were aborted by U.S. and European investigations. These involved attempts to obtain nearly a hundred tons of metals that Iran could not produce itself (specialized aluminum alloys, tungsten-copper plates, tungsten metal powder and maraging steel) as well as hundreds of electronic components essential for missile control and guidance systems. Chinese firms supply some of these items, as well as help in buying and moving exotic materials from firms outside China, and getting the stuff to Iran. The U.S. has had success recently finding, and punishing (with huge fines), U.S., European and Chinese banks that secretly helped Iran carry out these illegal transactions. These efforts aren't stopping Iranian missile building, but are slowing it down, and making it a lot more expensive.

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close