Iran state TV says Tehran launched rocket into space

TEHRAN – Iran connected Thursday announced it launched a outer bearer rocket bearing 3 devices into space, though it's unclear whether immoderate of the objects entered orbit astir the Earth.

The authorities TV report, arsenic good arsenic others by Iran's semiofficial quality agencies, did not accidental erstwhile the motorboat was conducted nor what devices the bearer brought with it. However, the motorboat comes amid hard negotiations successful Vienna implicit Iran's tattered atomic deal.

Previous launches person drawn rebukes from the United States. The U.S. State Department, Space Force and the Pentagon did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Ahmad Hosseini, a Defense Ministry spokesman, identified the rocket arsenic a Simorgh, oregon “Phoenix,” rocket. He said the 3 devices were sent up 470 kilometers (290 miles).

Hosseini was quoted arsenic saying the “performance of the abstraction halfway and the show of the outer bearer was done properly.” He described the motorboat arsenic “initial," suggesting much are connected the way.

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Iran's TV aired footage of the achromatic rocket emblazoned with the words, “Simorgh outer carrier” and the slogan “We can” shooting into the greeting entity from Iran's Imam Khomeini Spaceport. A authorities TV newsman astatine a adjacent godforsaken tract hailed the motorboat arsenic “another accomplishment by Iranian scientists.”

However, officials were soundless connected whether the launched objects had really reached orbit. Iran's civilian abstraction programme has suffered a series of setbacks successful caller years, including fatal fires and a launchpad rocket detonation that drew the attraction of erstwhile President Donald Trump.

Iranian authorities media precocious offered a database of upcoming planned outer launches for the Islamic Republic’s civilian abstraction program. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard runs its ain parallel programme that successfully enactment a outer into orbit past year.

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The blast-offs person raised concerns successful Washington astir whether the exertion utilized to motorboat satellites could beforehand Iran's ballistic rocket development. The United States says that specified outer launches defy a United Nations Security Council solution calling connected Iran to steer wide of immoderate enactment related to ballistic missiles susceptible of delivering atomic weapons.

Iran, which agelong has said it does not question atomic weapons, maintains its outer launches and rocket tests bash not person a subject component.

Announcing a motorboat arsenic atomic negotiators conscionable successful Vienna aligns with Tehran's hard-line posture nether President Ebrahim Raisi, a precocious elected blimpish cleric.

New Iranian demands successful the atomic talks person exasperated Western nations and heightened determination tensions arsenic Tehran presses up with atomic advancements. Diplomats person repeatedly raised the alarm that clip is moving retired to reconstruct the accord, which collapsed 3 years agone erstwhile America unilaterally withdrew nether then-President Trump.

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Iran has present abandoned each limitations nether the agreement, and has ramped up uranium enrichment from nether 4% purity to 60% — a short, method measurement from weapons-grade levels. International inspectors look challenges successful monitoring Tehran's advances.

Satellite images seen by The Associated Press suggested a motorboat was imminent earlier this month. The images showed preparations astatine the spaceport successful the godforsaken plains of Iran’s agrarian Semnan province, immoderate 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of Tehran.

Over the past decade, Iran has sent respective short-lived satellites into orbit and successful 2013 launched a monkey into space. But nether Raisi, the authorities appears to person sharpened its absorption connected space. Iran’s Supreme Council of Space has met for the archetypal clip successful 11 years.

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DeBre reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell successful Dubai contributed to this report.

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