The United States imposed sanctions on Iran’s civilian space agency and two research organizations for its involvement in the regime’s ballistic missile development, the State Department announced.
In a statement, the department sanctioned the Iran Space Agency and two affiliates for “engaging in proliferation-sensitive activities.”
The sanctions, part of a years-long U.S. pressure campaign to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons, are the first imposed on Iran’s space agencies, according to the State Department.
The announcement came five days after a rocket exploded at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in the northern province of Semnan. An Iranian official said the explosion resulted from a technical malfunction during a test.
However, Tehran denies its space activity is a cover for developing weapon launches.
Trump withdrew from a 2015 multi-national nuclear deal with Iran, saying it did not go far enough.
