Iran appears to be preparing for a space launch amidst the ongoing stalled negotiations in Vienna regarding its nuclear deal with world powers, according to an expert and satellite images published by the U.S. AP agency. The potential launch may take place from the Imam Khomeini base after Iranian state media showcased a list of upcoming satellite launches planned as part of Iran's civil space program, which has faced a series of failed launches, according to the AP. Jeffrey Lewis, an expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies who studies Tehran's program, noted that all of this aligns with renewed focus on space by hardline President Ebrahim Raisi.
Following the departure of former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Iran's concerns about sabotage of negotiations caused by launches—which the U.S. accuses them of being a means to continue developing their ballistic missile program—have diminished. Iranian state media did not acknowledge activity at the airbase, and Iran's mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment. The U.S. military, which tracks space launches, also did not respond to requests for comment.
Satellite images taken by Planet Labs on Saturday, obtained by the Associated Press, show activity at an airbase in the rural Semnan province of Iran, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of Tehran. A support vehicle is parked next to a large white gantry, which usually hosts a rocket on a launch pad. This support vehicle has appeared in other satellite images at the site prior to launches. The images also show a hydraulic crane, which has also been seen before past launches and is likely used to service the rocket. Other satellite images taken in recent days show an increase in the number of vehicles at the facility, another sign of increased activity typically preceding a launch. Lewis stated, "This is fairly typical pre-launch activity." The U.S. asserts that the launch of such satellites defies a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on Iran to refrain from any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
