CIA Views Russian Concerns Over Iran’s Space Program
Russian experts are persuaded that Iran’s space program is serving to advance development of intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be used against targets throughout the Middle East and Russia, according to a CIA review of open source reporting.
“Over the past year Moscow appears to have become more worried about the security implications of assisting Tehran with the further development of its space capability,” the November 2010 CIA report (pdf) said.
The CIA document was first reported by Bloomberg News (“Russian Scientists Worried Iran Uses Their Know-How for Missiles” by Roxana Tiron and Anthony Capaccio, February 3). A copy was obtained by Secrecy News. See “Russia: Security Concerns About Iran’s Space Program Growing,” CIA Open Source Works, November 16, 2010.
On February 7, Iranian officials displayed four new prototype satellites that they said would be launched in the near future.
There is no better time to re-invigorate America’s innovation edge by investing in R&D to create and capture “industries of the future,” re-shoring capital and expertise, and working closely with allies to expand our capabilities while safeguarding those technologies that are critical to our security.
Russia currently maintains nearly 5,460 nuclear warheads, with an estimated 1,718 deployed. This represents a slight decrease in total warheads from previous years but still positions Russia as the world’s largest nuclear power alongside the United States.
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