Iran's Resilient Space Program Thrives Amidst U.S. Sanctions

() -- Iran’s southeastern seaport of Chabahar is a popular tourist destination renowned for its cliff-lined beaches and rugged, treeless peaks known locally As "Martian Mountains." Soon, this area will have more than just a poetic link to outer space.

For years, construction has been underway to transform the sun-drenched coastal town into an economic hub, including a spaceport that’s set to open this year. The plan is to build the equivalent of Florida’s Cape Canaveral to anchor the Islamic Republic’s space ambitions.

This is a program that former U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to halt, as the country views the technologies used for space launches and ballistic missiles as nearly indistinguishable. Throughout his initial term, the United States enforced sanctions against Iran’s space agency; however, this did not hinder Iran from developing one of the region’s most sophisticated programs—the Middle East. Iranian Space Agency and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps both sending rockets and satellites to orbit.

New projects incorporate a network of 20 internet satellites dubbed after Qassem Soleimani, the general killed In an airstrike ordered by Trump in 2020.

For over two decades, concerns regarding Iran's progress on both nuclear and missile technologies have been central to the Western world's interactions with the Islamic Republic. Following Trump’s victory in the reelection, the amount of uranium enriched to levels close to what is required for nuclear weapons in Tehran's possession has increased by more than half. The International Atomic Energy Agency has stated , reigniting worries regarding its possible military applications.

Trump has urged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to agree to a new nuclear deal or face possible military action. Negotiators from Washington and Tehran conducted talks in Oman on April 12 and are preparing for a second meeting.

Iran has found itself needing to reconsider its capacities alongside allies in Gaza and Lebanon who have grown weaker due to conflicts with Israel following the 2023 Hamas assaults. Additionally, its Syrian supporter Bashar al-Assad was toppled by insurgents. Western authorities and analysts now view Iran’s advanced space program more and more as an integral part of its strategic defenses.

“Due to the technological similarities between Iran’s efforts on space-launch vehicles—including their two-stage, liquid-fueled Simorgh satellite launch vehicle—and intercontinental ballistic missiles, these developments likely reduce the time required for Iran to create an ICBM,” stated General Anthony Cotton, who commands US Strategic Command, according to his prepared remarks. testimony To the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 26. The Iranian Foreign Ministry and the White House National Security Council did not reply to requests for comments regarding this article.

Iranian advancements in space exploration coincide with numerous countries and private enterprises significantly bolstering their space military capacities, including the development of surveillance satellites and satellite jamming technologies.

Exact costs for Iran’s space program up until now have not been disclosed officially. Despite facing economic pressure from U.S. sanctions, the government still backs the space initiative but operates under stringent financial constraints. For instance, an Iranian high-ranking official mentioned last November that the space agency was slated to get approximately $11 million to invigorate this field.

This development has been fueled by Iran's enhanced ties with Russia in recent times. Earlier this month, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian inked a strategic cooperation accord with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Additionally, last year saw a Russian spacecraft send the initial pair of independently-created Iranian satellites into orbit. According to Juliana Suess, a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Moscow is employing Iranian-built unmanned aerial vehicles during its conflict in Ukraine and is sharing expertise accumulated through many years of space research.

What Russia undoubtedly possesses is the know-how," she stated. "This is precisely what Iran seeks.

Iran's capability to deploy additional satellites might allow it to improve the guidance of offensive weaponry through improved spacecraft technology. According to John Sheldon, who co-founded AstroAnalytica, an aerospace consultancy based in Abu Dhabi, "This would enhance Iran's precision in target acquisition and increase their capacity for rapid responses when deploying ballistic missiles, leading to far greater accuracy in hitting designated targets."

The Western countries are growing more worried about the strategic and military consequences of Iran’s progress. The administration of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is raising these concerns. sanctioned Brigadier General Ali Jafarabadi, head of the Space Division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force, last September and the Iranian Space Agency in October .

The EU also sanctioned Jafarabadi in October, saying his division was “involved in the development and future launch of satellite carriers, which are essential for the development of long-range ballistic missile systems.”

The IRGC, the powerful branch of Iran’s armed forces, was designated a terrorist organization by Trump during his first term.

Iranian authorities recognize the significance of space technology in advancing weaponry, with Pezeshkian noting that the country’s space program propels its missile advancements.

"Our adversaries continually attempt to hinder our ability to stand independently, yet this challenge has propelled us toward achieving progress in science and technology," he stated in February.

Even though Iran consistently denies seeking nuclear weapons and claims its uranium enrichment activities are solely for peaceful purposes, advancements in space technology could provide Tehran with a chance to demonstrate its resilience and power.

Iran currently needs, particularly following the decline of its proxy influence over Israel, to recreate a means for projecting power," stated Matthew Schmidt, an associate professor specializing in national security and political science at the University of New Haven. "Iran views advancements in space technology and aviation as avenues through which they can achieve this.

A lot hinges on the success of Chabahar, which has faced numerous delays and was originally scheduled to be completed by 2024. According to the Tehran Times newspaper in January, quoting space agency head Hassan Salarieh, the inauguration is now planned for this year.

Once completed, Chabahar will encompass a 14,000-hectare (54-square-mile) area that will function as Iran’s main center for space missions, according to him.

Chabahar holds significant importance for the Iranian government as it aims to enhance its capability to deploy more potent space vehicles through this facility. Additionally, Chabahar's proximity to the equator provides an edge over other launching locations within Iran, enabling rockets to leverage the Earth’s rotational speed more effectively than at northern positions.

Developing large rockets for space "puts them in a stronger position to create intercontinental ballistic missiles," according to John Caves , senior research associate at the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control in Washington. Both a space rocket and an intercontinental ballistic missile can travel outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

“Some of the technology that you need to be able to have a missile go that far is similar to things that you would work on for a space launch vehicle,” he said. “There are some things that basically they can learn from working on the space launch vehicle that then they could apply to an ICBM.”

Iran’s neighbors are promoting pan-Arab partnership, with 14 countries taking part in the Arab Space Cooperation Group , said Mohamed Ibrahim Al Aseeri, CEO of Bahrain’s space agency.

Although he said Tehran’s “very advanced capabilities” didn’t pose a threat, Al Aseeri said in an interview that Bahrain needed to respond to the way Iran and other nations use space for military and security purposes. “It is a competition and the best way to deal with it is to be ready and to develop your own technology,” he said.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials have made public statements accusing Iran of using the space program as cover for military missile technologies.

Officials in Tehran argue that having a space program is about securing the same access to advanced technology that’s available to the West, rather than building a long-range missile threat to the US.

Sina Azodi, adjunct professor of international affairs at George Washington University, said it’s highly unlikely that Iran will use its space program to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles, knowing that they would be easily thwarted by the US.

“The accusation against Iran is that its space program is used to cover the pursuit of intercontinental ballistic missiles, but without nuclear warheads, it doesn’t make sense,” said Azodi. “What are you going to do with that ICBM? Set up a conventional warhead to attack the US? Iran won’t do that.”

Much like its nuclear program, Iran sees space technology as something that can give it stature in the region and the wider world, beyond developing its military capabilities.

“Prestige is a major driver of these programs for Iran,” Dina Esfandiary, Middle East Geoeconomics analyst at Economics said.

Still, Iran has encountered many challenges, including delays in the opening of the Chabahar spaceport. Two satellite launches scheduled for the Iranian calendar year ending in March didn’t happen, with the space agency moving them to the new year.

Salarieh is already talking about even more ambitious projects such as advanced capsules capable of sending humans to space.

Iran's ability to achieve such goals could depend on the outcome of the negotiations with the US. The fact that the two sides are even talking is significant, said H.A. Hellyer, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington. “These were introductory talks, so not a great deal of substance should have been expected, but what did happen was still very symbolic," he said.

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