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Iran Launches New Satellite Into Space Using Technology Feared by West
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a425couple
2024-09-16 20:27:36 UTC
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https://www.newsweek.com/iran-launches-new-satellite-space-using-technology-feared-west-1953944

Iran Launches New Satellite Into Space Using Technology Feared by West
Published Sep 14, 2024 at 5:08 PM EDT
Updated Sep 14, 2024 at 6:06 PM EDT

00:43
US Accuses Iran Of Supplying Russia With Ballistic Missiles
By Natalie Venegas
Weekend Reporter

Iran launched a satellite into space on Saturday with a rocket built by
the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, state-run media
reported, but the launch has drawn attention from the West due to fears
that the technology used could accelerate its ballistic missile development.

According to the state-run media Tasnim News Agency, the rocket,
identified as the Qaem-100, is a solid-fuel, three-stage rocket that
launched the Chamran-1 satellite, weighing 132 pounds, into a 340-mile
orbit. The event, which was broadcast on Iranian media, showed the
rocket being launched from a mobile platform near the city of Shahroud,
roughly 215 miles east of the capital Tehran, according to an Associated
Press analysis of the video and other imagery.

This launch, described as a success by Iran, marks the second time the
Qaem-100 rocket has carried a satellite into orbit, following a launch
earlier this year.

The launch comes amid heightened tensions in the wider Middle East over
Israel's continued war on the Gaza Strip, sparking fears of a regional
conflict as Iran-linked groups in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon have
carried out attacks against United States and Israeli interests.

Iran has remained a steadfast backer of Hamas, the Palestinian militant
group, since its deadly assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023,
which ignited the ongoing conflict in Gaza. In the months since, the war
has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to
local health officials. The fighting has also led to the widespread
destruction of infrastructure and displaced nearly 90 percent of Gaza's
2.3 million residents, many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times.

According to state-run media, the launch was a joint effort by the space
department of Iran Electronics Industries, the Aerospace Research
Institute of Iran, and the domestic knowledge-based companies that built
the satellite to "test hardware and software systems for orbital
maneuver technology validation," state media said.

However, Western governments, such as the U.S., have previously warned
Iran against such launches, saying the same technology can be used for
ballistic missiles, Al Jazeera reported.

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While Iran claims its space program is for civilian purposes, experts
cite that that the technology could shorten the timeline for Iran to
develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which could
potentially carry nuclear weapons.

Newsweek has reached out the White House and Iran's Foreign Ministry via
email for comment.

Iran Chamran-1 satellite
This undated photo provided by Iranian Space Agency, ISA, shows a
Chamran-1 satellite. Iran launched a satellite into space on Saturday
with a rocket built by the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard,
state-run media reported, but... More ISA/AP

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The U.S. intelligence community and the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) have warned that Iran possesses enough enriched uranium to
produce several nuclear weapons, should it choose to do so.

While U.S. officials have yet to respond to Saturday's launch, they have
long expressed concerns over Iran's satellite efforts, arguing that they
violate United Nations Security Council resolutions and called on Iran
to undertake no activity involving ballistic missiles capable of
delivering nuclear weapons.

Read more
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Ukraine and Russia complete major prisoner swap
According to Al Jazeera, U.N. sanctions related to Iran's ballistic
missile program expired last October.

However, Tehran has consistently denied seeking nuclear arms. This comes
as Iran's space program had previously slowed under former President
Hassan Rouhani, who feared provoking the West, but it has gained
momentum under the hardline leadership of President Ebrahim Raisi who
died earlier this year in a helicopter crash.

While Raisi's death has led to some uncertainty about the direction of
Iran's space ambitions, the continued launches suggest that the country
remains committed to advancing its technological and military capabilities.


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Kualinar
2024-09-17 14:40:48 UTC
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Post by a425couple
from
https://www.newsweek.com/iran-launches-new-satellite-space-using-technology-feared-west-1953944
Iran Launches New Satellite Into Space Using Technology Feared by West
Published Sep 14, 2024 at 5:08 PM EDT
Updated Sep 14, 2024 at 6:06 PM EDT
00:43
US Accuses Iran Of Supplying Russia With Ballistic Missiles
By Natalie Venegas
Weekend Reporter
Good news : Ukraine have already destroyed at least half of those
Iranian missiles.

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