{"id":66455,"date":"2024-04-04T14:06:31","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T14:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2024\/04\/04\/bolster-sanctions-to-stop-irans-growing-military-space-capabilities\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:17:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:17:19","slug":"bolster-sanctions-to-stop-irans-growing-military-space-capabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/opinion\/2024\/04\/04\/bolster-sanctions-to-stop-irans-growing-military-space-capabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Bolster sanctions to stop Iran\u2019s growing military space capabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In mid-February, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee alleged<\/a> the existence of a \u201cserious national security threat\u201d \u2014 a Russian effort to deploy a nuclear anti-satellite<\/a> weapon in space. The episode drew attention to an often overlooked, but crucial domain of U.S. national security<\/a> \u2014 space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a top Pentagon official noted<\/a> recently, \u201cour competitors know … how much the American way of life and the American ways of war depend on space power.\u201d And it is not just Russia; Iran, too<\/a>, is increasing its space-based capabilities to threaten the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran has claimed<\/a> a string of achievements in space<\/a> in recent months. In February, Russia reportedly assisted<\/a> Iran with launching a satellite into space from a Russian site. Iran claimed in September that it successfully used a space launch vehicle<\/a>, or SLV, to place a military satellite in space. Iranian officials then asserted<\/a> in January that it put multiple satellites into orbit in a single launch for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran\u2019s recent SLV launches, and its purported ability to put multiple satellites into space, are troubling for four main reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, SLVs could provide Iran<\/a> with a rapid route to an intercontinental ballistic missile. Iran\u2019s SLV advancements, according to an unclassified U.S. intelligence assessment<\/a>, \u201cshortens the timeline to an ICBM if [Iran] decided to develop one because SLVs and ICBMs use similar technologies.\u201d The editor of Iran\u2019s state-run news agency said in 2022<\/a>: \u201cThe minute we built the first satellite launcher, we obtained the capability to build an intercontinental [missile].\u201d Although Iran would need to master the intermediate step of fitting a heatshield<\/a> onto a missile warhead to enable atmospheric reentry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia, which possesses a large ICBM arsenal, could provide Iran the know-how to incorporate this technology, perhaps in exchange for the drones and missiles Tehran is supplying Moscow<\/a> for its war in Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, Iran\u2019s reported use of a solid-fuel propellant<\/a> to launch its SLVs is concerning, as this would make detection of imminent missile launches more challenging. Unlike liquid-fuel projectile launches, which take hours to prepare and require conspicuous pre-launch activities, projectiles on a mobile launcher with solid-fuel propellants are quicker to prepare and much harder to detect prior to launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, Iran\u2019s satellite program could enhance its ability to facilitate proxy attacks<\/a> against U.S. allies and interests. Russia has reportedly supplied<\/a> Iran with an advanced satellite system to augment Iran\u2019s intelligence-gathering capabilities. The platform was equipped with a high-resolution camera, allowing monitoring of Israeli military bases, regional bases housing U.S. troops and other sensitive targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Iran could use its satellites to interfere with U.S. or allied military assets. Even a supposed communications satellite, ostensibly used for civilian purposes, could initiate downlink signal jamming<\/a> of radars and other assets. Iran claimed<\/a> in 2020 to have conducted \u201cspace operations\u201d exercises simulating drone and radar jamming. Launching multiple satellites at once could enable Iran to carry out signal jamming over an even greater surface area, leaving U.S. interests and those of its regional partners vulnerable to attack. GPS jamming and spoofing, seemingly initiated by Iran, are reportedly already impacting<\/a> civilian airline traffic in the Middle East. Iran could represent another threat to stability in space by developing counterspace programs akin to Russia and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States must put Iran on notice for its problematic space activities. Sanctions against Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics agency \u2014 responsible for its space activity \u2014 and third parties helping the regime evade sanctions, as the United States recently implemented<\/a>, are a good start. U.S. officials should also encourage allies to sanction banks<\/a> helping Iran evade sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\t