Russia has launched an Iranian satellite into space amid U.S. concerns that it would be used by Moscow to spy over Ukraine to support its military decisions in the war.
Officials launched the satellite, which is called Khayyam, from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility located in Kazakhstan. Iran added that it will be used for environmental monitoring and will remain under Tehran's control.
Iranian Satellite
However, last week, U.S. officials said that they had concerns that the satellite could be used by Moscow to spy on troop movements in Ukraine. The situation comes as Russia has struggled to achieve military objectives in Ukraine and the Kremlin alleged that Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, told Tehran it planned to maintain control over the satellite "for several months or longer."
The unnamed sources that revealed this plan said that the satellite could give Iran and Russia "unprecedented capabilities" to almost continuously monitor troop movements and bases. However, Tehran rejected the accusations and emphasized that it will have full control and operation over the satellite starting from the day it is launched, as per BBC.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Iran said that the rumors that claim the satellite will be used to photograph Ukraine for military purposes are wrong. The satellite is fitted with a high-resolution camera and will be used mainly for agricultural programs and to monitor water resources and other environmental applications.
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Irna, Iran's state news agency, said that Tehran's space agency had already received the first set of data from the satellite. The launch of the Khayyam comes only three weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
According to Fox News, the incident comes as the recently appointed head of Russia's Roscosmos, Yuru Borisov, said last month that Moscow will leave the International Space Station in the next two years. He noted that Russia will still fulfill its partner commitments before leaving.
Spying on Ukraine
U.S. officials revealed last month that Iran had offered to supply its top-of-the-line surveillance drones to Russia to help with its war in Ukraine. In a report last year, Russia and Iran entered an agreement that would result in the building and launching of a remote-sensing satellite.
This would provide Iran with broad capabilities to conduct surveillance for military and civilian purposes. The Khayyam's high-resolution camera is far lower in quality achieved by U.S. spy satellites or high-end commercial satellite imagery providers but far better than Iran's current capabilities.
What was more concerning for others was Iran's ability to "task" the new satellite to conduct continuous surveillance on locations of its choosing. This could be anything from military facilities in Israel, to oil refineries, and other vital infrastructure in neighboring gulf states.
The prospect of an improved Iranian satellite has exacerbated anxieties among Iran's neighbors and adversaries. Furthermore, some military and intelligence officials from the United States have raised concerns over the satellite. Experts say that Iran could also share data with pro-Iranian militia groups across the region, the Washington Post reported.
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