Why is Iran’s Satellite Program a National Security Threat for the US?
Right when Iran successfully launched it’s first military satellite, Noor, US President Donald Trump ordered to destroy its gunboats, if any US Navy ships are harassed at sea. Apparent national security threats are emerging again as chances of the once simmered US-Iran conflict is visibly renewing after a temporary truce.
After the successful launch of Noor, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps reported that the satellite orbited 425 km, i.e. 264 miles above the earth’s surface. IRGC stated that they used the Qased, or the “Messenger”, carrier for launching the military satellite. The Iranian armed forces said that “the three-stage Qased satellite launcher uses a combination of solid and liquid fuels.”
The successful launch of Noor came after two months of failed attempts made by Iran.
However, it got mocked by General Jay Raymond, US Space Force commander who tweeted that it wasn’t a satellite, but a “tumbling webcam in space”. He further underestimated “Noor” — “Light” in Arabic — by claiming that it was unlikely of it to give any substantial intelligence to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for there to be any threat.
Regardless of everything, the fact is that the Iranian military satellite entered the earth’s orbit and is still seen as a potential threat to the national security of the United States, a long time rival.
As part of a 2015 U.N. resolution, Iran is refrained from working on ballistic missiles meant to make nuclear weapons, for up to 8 years. State Secretary, Mike Pompeo condemned the launch and ridiculed the claims that state Iran’s space program is aimed at peaceful purposes.
The hostility comes amidst estimates made by the US military that the long-range ballistic technology put to use for launching satellite into earth’s orbit by Iran, can most possibly be used by them to set in motion longer-range weapons in future, including nuclear warheads.
In the meantime, Tehran has completely rebuffed US military assertions that any of these activities are related to ballistic missile development. In fact, it says, it hasn’t ever pursued nuclear weapon development motives.
In the past the US-Iran conflict has escalated from capturing oil vessels, to shooting down gunboats, attacking US Embassy in Iraq, to retaliation via the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. The launch of Iran’s military satellite could reignite past flames following fear that the Persian Gulf nation could use the satellite imagery to better target enemy sites with precise coordinates.
