Shafaq News/ satellite imagery captured by commercial firms Planet and Maxar shows increased activity at Iran’s Imam Khomeini Spaceport in recent days
Officials told CNN that the Pentagon was watching as Iran attempted, and failed, to launch yet another satellite into orbit earlier this month.
Fuel containers, support vehicles and a mobile platform are visible in satellite images taken of the site as recently as June 20, which the experts at Middlebury say is a key indicator that another launch could be attempted in the coming days or weeks.
The images also show increased vehicle activity at the Khomeini launch site, located nearly 200 miles east of Tehran, which experts say is another sign of a potentially imminent launch. CNN reported.
The increased activity at Iran's spaceport comes at a critical time in relations between Tehran and Washington. The two countries are in sensitive negotiations for a return to the Iran nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the potential easing of sanctions against Iran. The activity also comes in the final weeks of the term of President Hassan Rouhani, before he is replaced by the ultra-conservative judiciary chief Ibrahim Raisi in August.
