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Is the U.S. Sabotaging Iran's Missile and Space Programs?

(BESA Center for Strategic Studies-Bar-Ilan University) Dr. Farhad Rezaei - Iran's rapid development of missile expertise has raised concerns in the U.S. and among its allies. In negotiations over the nuclear deal, Washington softened the language of UNSC Resolution 1929 (2010), which stipulated that "Iran shall not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons." Resolution 2231, which passed on July 20, 2015, used more permissive language: "Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons." With the legal loophole created, the Iranians set about putting more effort into their ballistic missile program. On Jan. 14, 2019, Iran launched a Simorgh (Phoenix) missile carrying a satellite, which failed to enter orbit. On Feb. 5, the Revolutionary Guards launched a second satellite. However, satellite images released by DigitalGlobe and Planet, which specialize in space imaging, suggest that this attempt also failed. Iran's military and political officials attributed the two failures to a secret Washington program to sabotage Iran's missile and space programs. Brig.-Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace program, accused U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies of engaging in campaigns of "infiltration and sabotage" of Iran's missile complex. On Feb. 13, the New York Times revealed that the U.S. has accelerated a secret project to subvert Iran's missile and space program, a plan described as "a far-reaching effort to slip faulty parts and materials into Iran's aerospace supply chains." The writer is a member of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) in Washington.
2019-03-12 00:00:00
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