US intelligence report describes Iran as 'emerging' space power

Iran is "emerging" as a space power capable of challenging US military operations in the Middle East, despite American strikes on key Iranian space-related facilities, according to a Pentagon intelligence report.

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said in the report that Iran took offensive action against US space capabilities during Operation Epic Fury, using land-based jamming systems that can disrupt satellite-based GPS signals.

It said that Tehran is expanding its military and civilian space programs to strengthen its military capabilities, economic development and national prestige.

"Space is accessible and affordable today," Brig. Gen. Todd Benson, commander of Space Forces Central, said at a Mitchell Institute webinar last month.

Iran has around a dozen operational satellites, according to the American Enterprise Institute's space data, while the US operates more than 1,000 times as many.

Tehran has also reportedly received satellite support from China and Russia to improve its intelligence and targeting capabilities.

Despite US claims of achieving "space superiority" against Iran, some American defense experts questioned that assessment.

"If Iran can degrade U.S. space capabilities, we don't have superiority" over it, Todd Harrison, an aerospace expert at the American Enterprise Institute, told Axios.

The DIA said Iran is also working to improve the resistance of its guidance and navigation systems to electronic attacks.