The United States imposed sanctions Tuesday on Iran's space agency for the first time, accusing it of developing ballistic missiles under the cover of a civilian program to launch satellites into orbit. With the latest sanctions, the Trump administration can subject foreign companies and governments, including international space cooperation organizations, to penalties if they have any involvement with the Iranian space agency. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the "urgency of the threat" was demonstrated by Iran's recent attempt to launch a space vehicle, in which a rocket exploded last Thursday at its Imam Khomeini Space Center. "The United States will not allow Iran to use its space-launch program as cover to advance its ballistic-missile programs," he said in a statement announcing the sanctions.
