Iran slams Israel-US strikes on civilian space, communications infra

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Iran Amir Saeid Iravani in an official letter to the UN Secretary General and President of the Security Council said the aggressors’ attacks have disrupted environmental monitoring, natural disaster management, and global telecommunications services, undermining the collective global interests in the peaceful use of outer space.

He stressed that these deliberate attacks on purely civilian scientific and communications infrastructure constitute acts of state-sponsored terrorism and constitute war crimes, and are a gross violation of the UN Charter and international humanitarian law.

The Iranian Ministry of Information and Communications Technology has developed an advanced indigenous telecommunications and remote-sensing satellite program.

Last December, Paya, Zafar 2, and Kowsar remote-sensing satellites were launched aboard a Soyuz rocket from Vestochny spaceport complex in Russia’s Far East region of Amur Oblast.

In early February, days before the US-Israeli aggression of Iran, the ICT Minister Seyed Sattar Hashemi displayed for the first time images captured by Iran's Paya (Tolu 3) Earth observation satellite in a ceremony to commemorate the national Space Technology Day.

Full text of the letter of Iran-UN Mission is as follows:

“In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful 

22 April 2026 

Excellency, 

Upon instructions from my Government, and further to Iran's previous letters concerning the United States and the Israeli regime's war of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly their deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, I wish to bring to your attention, and that of the members of the Security Council, yet another grave dimension of the aggression.  Specifically, I would like to highlight the United States and the Israeli regime's attacks against the civilian space and communication infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the 40 days of this cruel and savage war, constituting further egregious violations and atrocities. 

The aggressors have deliberately targeted the following civilian space facilities, which are exclusively dedicated to peaceful scientific advancement, technical capacity-building, and the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes to the benefit of humanity: 

Space academic centers, including the Space Research Centre of the University of Science and Technology and the Aerospace Research Institute; 

The Iran Space Research Institute; 

The Satellite Systems Research Institute; 

The Advanced Space Transportation Research Institute and the Space Propulsion Research Institute; 

The Mahdasht Space Centre, which oversees satellite communications and data  processing; 

Satellite ground control stations and equipment at the Khayyam Observatory; and 

More than 30 ground-transmitting earth stations of national radio٫TV broadcasting (IRIB), essential for disseminating public safety information, including evacuation orders, sheltering instructions, and security alerts, to coordinate civilian response during crises. The attacks clearly violate the fundamental human right of access to information and public safety. 

The consequences of these assaults extend far beyond Iran's borders. The targeting of ground stations and observatories disrupts internationally beneficial space-based services, including environmental monitoring, disaster management, and global telecommunications. In an interconnected world, these actions undermine the collective interest in the peaceful use of outer space. 

These deliberate attacks against exclusively civilian scientific and communication infrastructure amount to acts of state terrorism and constitute war crimes. They represent a clear violation of Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations and a grave breach of international humanitarian law. The targeting of facilities indispensable to scientific progress and public safety shows the aggressors' real criminal intent. 

Furthermore, such barbaric acts fundamentally contradict the object and purpose of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, particularly its Article I, which affirms the freedom of exploration and use of outer space for the benefit of all countries, and its Article III, which requires that activities be conducted in accordance with international law. The attack on the IRIB's satellite-linked infrastructure violates the International Human Rights Covenants, which guarantee, among others, the right to seek, receive, and impart information. 

The United States and the Israeli regime bear full international responsibility for all damage and consequences arising from their unlawful actions and attacks against the civilian space and communications infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

In light of the foregoing, the Islamic Republic of Iran calls upon the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council to assume their responsibilities under the Charter and to address these unlawful acts with the seriousness they warrant. 

The Security Council must condemn and reject such criminal acts unequivocally and take necessary measures to prevent recurrence of such grave violations, which constitute a flagrant breach of the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter. The failure to respond adequately will not only undermine the credibility of the international legal order but also embolden the perpetrators to commit further violations with potentially catastrophic consequences for global scientific cooperation and public safety. 

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as an official document of the Security Council. 

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration. 

Amir Saeid Iravani 

Ambassador 

Permanent Representative”