Iran has reportedly ordered thousands of tons of ballistic missile materials from China amid tense negotiations with the United States over the future of its nuclear program.

Ammonium perchlorate shipments — enough to fuel hundreds of ballistic missiles — will arrive in Iran in the coming months, sources familiar with the transaction told The Wall Street Journal .

Some of the rocket propellant will likely find its way to Iran-aligned militias in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen, who have been terrorizing ships passing through the Red Sea and firing missiles at Israel .

Trucks carry Iranian long-range missiles Fatah during the annual military parade marking the Iraqi invasion in 1980 in September. ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA-EFE / Shutterstock

The deal with China comes as

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