Iran looks to Russia to help fund space ambitions, amid growing fears from the West
Iran is reportedly building a major spaceport which is being supported by its close ally, Russia.
As the US and Iran continue their talks surrounding the Iranian Nuclear Programme, reports suggest Iran is building a major spaceport to maintain its regional status. This comes after the country has been dealt a series of setbacks with its proxies across the Middle East.
According to Bloomberg, the Islamic Republic plans to build a facility similar to Florida’s Cape Canaveral, in Chabahar, with a launch site close to the equator.
The report said that the site will contain a 54-square-mile complex, allowing Iran to launch powerful spacecraft into orbit.
The US and Israel are said to be particularly concerned about the project and worry that Iranian space technology could be used to advance the country’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities.
Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of US Strategic Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee last month, “Iran’s work on space-launch vehicles - including its two-stage, liquid-fueled Simorgh satellite carrier rocket - likely shortens the timeline to produce an ICBM due to the similarities in technology.”
Iran also aims to send 20 internet satellites named after Qassem Soleimani, according to the report, who was the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force commander killed by the US in 2020.
While Bloombergs report did not give any exact figures regarding the costs of the program, a senior Iranian official said last November that around $11 million would be used to fund Iran’s space agency.
After US sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy, the country will be looking for outside support with projects such as these. This is where Iran’s strategic relationship with Russia comes in, as both countries face sanctions from the West.
In January, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a 20-year strategic pact.
Both countries have already worked together on space projects. In October, two Iranian-made satellites were sent into orbit from Russia. Russia has also used Iranian drones throughout its invasion of Ukraine.
The UK and the EU have both sanctioned Brigadier General Ali Jafarabadi, who leads the IRGC’s space division, and the UK has also sanctioned the Iranian Space Agency.
President Pezeshkian said in February, “Our enemies constantly try to prevent us from standing on our own feet, but this has driven us to achieve scientific and technological advancements.”
Meanwhile, Moscow has also been picked as a possible destination for Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
As talks regarding the Iranian Nuclear Programme appear to be going better, the main sticking point is that the US wants Iran to end the stockpiling of uranium, which Iran is so far unwilling to do, or have it transferred to a third country, like Russia.
An arrangement like this will give Russia a highly important role in the future US-Iran relationship but has the potential to exclude Germany, France, and the UK, who are the current guarantors of the 2015 agreement.
