Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it successfully launched the country’s first military satellite into orbit, adding to concerns about the advancement of Iran’s missile program.
Iranian state TV shared video of the launch, and the Guard said on its official website that the satellite, which it called “Noor,” successfully reached an orbit of 264 miles above the Earth’s surface.
“Today, the world’s powerful armies do not have a comprehensive defense plan without being in space, and achieving this superior technology that takes us into space and expands the realm of our abilities is a strategic achievement,” said Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard.
There has not been independent confirmation of the launch, and it wasn’t immediately clear if Iran’s civilian government knew about the launch ahead of time. There was reportedly no mention of it in President Hassan Rouhani’s speech before his Cabinet on Wednesday.
Iran has had several failed satellite launches in recent months, the latest in February when it failed to put a communications satellite into orbit.
The United States has said the satellite launches violate a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding that Iran conduct no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Iran has long claimed that its satellite launches do not relate to the military, but the latest launch casts doubt on that claim.
