US sanctions Iran’s space programme

The Trump administration imposed sanctions yesterday on Iran’s space agency for the first time, accusing it of developing ballistic missiles under the cover of a civilian programme to launch satellites into orbit. The sanctions announced by the State and Treasury departments targeting the agency and two of its affiliates follow the explosion Thursday of a rocket at Iran’s Imam Khomeini Space Centre in what an Iranian official said was a technical malfunction during a test.

Following the explosion, President Donald Trump tweeted a surveillance image depicting the apparent aftermath of the incident and declared that the US had nothing to do with what transpired at the launch site. With the latest sanctions, the Trump administration can subject foreign companies and governments, including international space cooperation organisations, to penalties if they have any involvement with the Iranian space agency.

They would also freeze any of the agency’s assets in US jurisdictions, though there aren’t likely to be any given the state of relations between the two nations. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the “urgency of the threat” was underscored by Iran’s recent attempt to launch a space vehicle. “The United States will not allow Iran to use its space launch programme as cover to advance its ballistic missile programmes,” he said in a statement announcing the sanctions.