As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and historically low oil prices, and amid wider tensions with the United States, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that on April 22, it had successfully launched the country's first military satellite, Noor-1, into orbit. The launch was carried out on the 41st anniversary of the IRGC's establishment.

According to the IRGC, it used a three-stage rocket to put Noor-1 into a 425-kilometer orbit above the Earth's surface. It described the system as using both liquid and solid fuel. The signals from the satellite were received in the northwestern city of Tabriz.

The satellite was launched from an IRGC base near Shahroud, some 330 kilometers northeast of Tehran. The base is in Semnan province, which hosts the Imam Khomeini Spaceport from which Iran's civilian space program operates.

The commander of IRGC Aerospace Force, Ali Jafarabadi, said on April 23 that the satellite launch is part of a "super project," and that Iran will be launching larger military satellites into higher orbits.

IRGC commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami said following the launch that "today, we look at the Earth from space, and this means expansion of the strategic intelligence and information of the IRGC's powerful defense force."

Iran recognizes the strategic value of space, and historically Iran has always sought autonomy when it comes to strategic systems. In 2003, when the reformist Mohammad Khatami was president, the Iranian parliament approved the creation of the Supreme Space Council (SSC) and the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) as its executive arm.

Iran has compensated for its lack of a modern air force by developing long-range missile capabilities but lacks intercontinental ballistic missiles. Iran is not a signatory to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and continues to advance its missile program; Iran's space program is likely a cover for the development of longer-range missiles. As with its nuclear program, Tehran has claimed that its space program has purely peaceful intentions.

Iran has two types of space launch vehicles (SLV), the smaller Safir and larger Simorgh. The SLVs were built as an extension of Iran's ballistic missile program. In February 2009, Iran successfully launched its first indigenous satellite, Omid (Hope), using the Safir SLV. Iran has so far successfully employed Safir-class SLVs to place in orbit four satellites carrying various telecommunications, earth-imaging and environmental monitoring equipment. Eight other documented orbital launches have failed.

In 2010, Iran unveiled its two-stage Simorgh SLV, which improves on the Safir by harnessing not one but four missile engines (all based on North Korea's Nodong missile), permitting a much larger payload.

The level of sophistication of Iran's ballistic-missile program and the speed of its development would not have been possible without extensive assistance from abroad, notably from North Korea, Russia and China. While North Korea furnished the basic hardware for liquid-fuel rocket propulsion, Russia supplied materials, equipment and training. China supplied help with guidance and solid-fuel rocket propulsion.

Iran managed to put a satellite into orbit in 2009, 2011 and 2012, but in recent years suffered several failed launches:

On Jan. 15, 2019, Iran failed to put its "Payam" satellite into orbit, as it was unable to reach the required velocity. Iranian Communications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari said the rocket "failed to reach the required speed in the third stage, even though it succeeded in the first two stages of the launch."

On Feb. 6, 2019, Iran appears to have attempted a second satellite launch. Satellite images showed a rocket at the Imam Khomeini Space Center on Feb. 6, while images from the next day showed the rocket was gone, and what appeared to be burn marks on its launch pad.

On Feb. 16, 2019, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif revealed that his country had again failed to launch a satellite into space. Speaking to NBC News, he said that it was the second failed attempt in the past two months.

On Aug. 29, 2019, Iran tried again to launch a satellite but the rocket apparently exploded on the launchpad at the Imam Khomeini Space Center. Less than a week after the explosion,

On Sept. 3, 2019, Washington imposed sanctions on Iran's space agency (ISA) for the first time, accusing it of developing ballistic missiles under the cover of a civilian program.

On Feb. 9, 2020, Iran's latest attempt to put a satellite in space ended in failure, marking the fourth unsuccessful attempt in a row to successfully put a satellite in space.

The United States claims that Iran's space program helps it develop ballistic missiles. Iran's SLV program could serve as a testbed for the development of intercontinental ballistic-missile technologies, as the boosters and other technologies used by the SLVs, particularly the Simorgh, are similar to those needed for ICBMs, meaning they could be converted to that purpose if desired.

The United States has warned that Tehran's ability to place satellites into space represents a significant advance in its long-range missile capability, posing a greater threat to US forces and allies in the Middle East.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of violating a 2015 UN Security Council resolution that calls on Iran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Pompeo called for the United Nations to extend its conventional arms embargo on Iran beyond its scheduled end in October 2020.

"All peace-loving nations must reject Iran's development of ballistic-missile-capable technologies and join together to constrain Iran's dangerous missile programs," he said.

Iran rejected Pompeo's accusation, saying UN Security Council Resolution 2231 does not ban it from launching satellites. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed the United States and Europe for what he said was their misreading of the resolution and reiterated that Tehran's missiles are not designed to carry nuclear weapons.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Israel strongly condemns the launch of a military satellite by the IRGC, a terrorist organization recognized as such by the United States, and called for new sanctions against Tehran.

Germany, France and the United Kingdom also expressed concern, but Russia announced the launch did not violate any UN resolutions.

The launch of Iran's first military satellite came amid tensions between Tehran and Washington over the collapsing nuclear deal and after a US drone strike killed IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in January. The Pentagon claimed on April 19 that nearly a dozen ships from Iran's IRGC Navy had taken dangerous and provocative actions near US Navy and Coast Guard vessels in the Persian Gulf. President Donald Trump warned that the United States would destroy Iranian gunboats that harass American ships at sea.

Iran recognizes the strategic value of space capabilities. Iran's space program is authorized and guided over the long term by a Supreme Space Council, which reports to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In the past decade, Iran has sent several short-lived satellites into orbit, and in 2013 launched a monkey into space.

Iranian officials often discuss space and missile developments simultaneously, perhaps indicating the parallel nature of the program. They have openly admitted that the Shahab missile system has been used as the basis for Iran's SLV.

The United States and its allies have long feared that the same satellite-launching technology could be used by Iran to develop long-range missiles that could carry nuclear weapons.

Iran, which considers its space program a matter of national interest and pride, has denied those assertions and has said that Iran is not working toward a nuclear weapons program.

 Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a recent speech that "today, we are facing an enemy whose threat is clear, large and wide. This threat does not stop at borders, but rather involves the world. We are in the midst of a … global war."

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He added that "in any battle, there's a target and an enemy, the problem in this battle is that the enemy is 'coronavirus,' which is anonymous in all its aspects. Its threat has become obvious to all people."

The coronavirus pandemic is but the latest crisis to hit Israel's northern neighbor, which is already struggling with ongoing political turmoil, mass anti-government protests and severe economic crisis.

The first case of the coronavirus in Lebanon was reported on Feb. 23, when a 45-year-old woman tested positive after returning to Lebanon from the Iranian holy city of Qom. Many in Lebanon, including many in the country's Shi'ite community, had previously raised the alarm about the frequent flights arriving in Lebanon from Iran, as the Islamic Republic is dealing with one of the deadliest coronavirus outbreaks in the world. However, Nasrallah did not stop or explain the flights.

Many in Lebanon believe that these flights were not only bringing Lebanese back to Lebanon, but also Iranians infected with the virus to be treated at Hezbollah's private hospitals. The fact that the media were not allowed to enter the airport when these flights arrived, they believed, indicated that Hezbollah was hiding something, or someone.

In a recent speech, Nasrallah said the global war against the pandemic can be won if everyone does their part.

"Responsibility vis-à-vis coronavirus is comprehensive. The virus can be defeated if everyone takes responsibility and plays their part," he said.

The Hezbollah leader said that prayers were the "most effective weapon in the current battle," but urged people to pray at home and not to visit mosques or churches. He underlined the importance of self-isolation in stemming the spread of the virus, and called on all those with symptoms to report them immediately, adding that it was a religious duty to follow the instructions of the health authorities.

In his speech, Nasrallah also called on the country's banks to "act responsibly" amid the current crisis.

In Lebanon, the government, security forces and Hezbollah are working hand in hand to try to contain the disease. Lebanon has closed all educational institutions, restaurants, nightclubs, pubs, cafes, exhibitions, parks, cinemas, malls and other gathering venues, and has also, if belatedly, banned flights from 11 hard-hit countries, including Iran. Hezbollah, too, has frozen all travel to Iran, and imposed a quarantine in Syria on a group of students who were returning to Lebanon via Damascus airport.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip is among the most densely populated areas on earth, and its healthcare services are weak. As a result, there is concern that the pandemic could spread very quickly in Gaza, causing a humanitarian crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned Gaza's health-care system will not be able to deal with an outbreak, and Israeli officials have expressed fear that such a crisis is only a matter of time.

Hamas, too, is very aware of the risk; the recent relative calm on the Israel-Gaza border stems from the Hamas leadership's understanding that it is dependent on Israel and Egypt to deal with this crisis.

Hamas and the other terrorist factions in Gaza are also worried that if any attack is launched against Israel, Israel may take advantage of the world's focus on the coronavirus outbreak to carry out massive airstrikes in Gaza, and possibly assassinate terrorist leaders. Hamas officials say the terrorist organization will maintain the current calm that this is not the time for clashes at the Gaza border.

The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed the first two cases of COVID-19 in Gaza on March 22. The two patients were placed in quarantine in a field hospital in the border town of Rafah upon arrival from Egypt. The hospital is designed to treat coronavirus patients entering the Gaza Strip through Egypt. The ministry said that tests conducted on 19 Palestinians who returned to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt were negative.

It is in Israel's utmost interest to ensure that the pandemic does not hit Gaza, and Israel has already delivered 200 coronavirus test kits to Gaza as part of an effort to prevent an outbreak there. On March 22, Israel announced that all crossings into Israel from Gaza have been closed.

Hamas has restricted obligatory prayers in the mosques, encouraging people to perform prayers at home instead, and has closed women's prayer rooms. Gatherings have been limited to 100 people and schools will remain shut through March.

Palestinian health officials have expressed concern that amid a serious outbreak in the Gaza Strip, thousands of Palestinians may try to force their way into Israel and/or Egypt.

In the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic, Israel, Hezbollah, Hamas and the other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip are in agreement that controlling the spread of the virus is the highest priority. However, the current lull in violence is temporary, and will last only until the virus is defeated.

The pandemic is also serving as an object lesson in the risks of biological weapons, which do not distinguish between religions, ideologies and borders. It is possible this may deter groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas from seeking to obtain or use biological weapons in the future.

Regardless, Israel must heed the lessons learned from this pandemic to prepare for a future bioterrorism threat.

Dr. Shaul Shay is a senior research fellow at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and former deputy head of Israel's National Security Council.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org. 

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