Pentagon Intel Says Iran Uses Space-Based Intelligence to Target US Bases Despite US Efforts to Destroy Its Space Infrastructure

Iran is using space-based intelligence to help target American military installations across the Middle East, according to a Pentagon assessment reported by Axios, despite U.S. efforts to destroy its space infrastructure. The assessment raises questions about American claims of achieving space superiority over Iran during Operation Epic Fury. It also points to Tehran’s growing reliance on Chinese and Russian satellite technology to threaten American forces in the region.

The war began on Feb. 28, when American and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes against Iran. The Israel Defense Forces described the Israeli part of the operation as an effort to eliminate threats to Israel’s security. On March 2, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces.” Rubio argued that striking Iran preemptively would prevent American casualties. In remarks on March 3, he later maintained that Washington intended to confront Iran regardless of Israeli military plans.

Casualty figures vary by source. According to the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System, at least 23 American service members have died in operations connected to the war, including 11 killed by hostile action and 12 in noncombat incidents. The Pentagon’s latest figures state that another 866 American troops have been wounded in action. A Congressional Research Service report says at least 3,636 people were killed in Iran by April 7, including 1,701 civilians. That report notes that its figures do not account for subsequent casualties from renewed American and Israeli military operations. The Lebanese Health Ministry’s Oct. 30 assessment says Israeli military operations have killed at least 4,389 people in Lebanon and wounded another 12,428 since March 2. Al Jazeera, citing government and health ministry figures, reported that Iranian attacks had killed at least 60 people in Israel and 28 across Persian Gulf states by late August.

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) designated Iran an “emerging” space power in its Oct. 26 assessment. According to the agency’s published report, the Islamic Republic continues developing capabilities that could challenge American military operations despite extensive U.S. bombardment. The DIA also said American and Iranian forces have conducted offensive operations against each other’s space capabilities during the war. Iran relied partly on ground-based electronic warfare systems capable of jamming satellite communications and GPS signals used by American forces. Those capabilities remain especially dangerous around the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian electronic warfare has repeatedly interfered with satellite navigation.

Significant GPS jamming and spoofing continue to threaten vessels throughout the Persian Gulf and surrounding waterways, according to an active Maritime Administration advisory. American officials have urged commercial mariners to supplement satellite navigation with traditional methods, including radar and visual bearings. Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily disrupted more than eight months after the war began. Windward, a maritime intelligence firm, reported that just five vessels crossed the waterway on Nov. 4, including two inbound and three outbound, and that no tankers were recorded departing the Persian Gulf. Windward also said Iranian forces attacked at least four tankers around the strait between Oct. 29 and 30, including one vessel struck by explosives attached to its hull.

Oil continues to flow through other routes, though at reduced levels. Reuters, citing the shipping intelligence firm Vortexa, reported that Gulf oil exports averaged approximately 17.1 million barrels per day in October, down from 18.9 million in September and roughly 75% of prewar levels. Regional exporters have increasingly relied on pipelines that bypass Hormuz and on tankers operating without broadcasting their locations. The shipping intelligence firm Kpler reported that more than 70% of the crude crossing the strait in August was transferred to other vessels outside the waterway. The findings complicate earlier claims of American dominance over Iran’s space capabilities. Honest assessment of what the evidence shows is a matter of truthfulness (Ephesians 4:15).

U.S. forces achieved “space superiority” after destroying Iran’s space command infrastructure, U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper declared in March, according to Defense One.

Source: Read the original report