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Iran launches first military satellite in latest show of force

  • April 22, 2020

WASHINGTON — Iran said Wednesday that it successfully launched the nation’s first military satellite, another move in the heightened tit-for-tat fight between Washington and Tehran over the regime’s missile programs. 

The satellite, dubbed Noor, was launched into orbit using a long-range rocket, according to a statement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

U.S. officials have long feared that Iran’s pursuit of developing satellite technology is a cover for ballistic missile activity. Tehran, meanwhile, has denied those assertions and has said that the nation is not working toward a nuclear weapon program.

“We want to make sure that they can never threaten the United States,” U.S. Air Force Gen. John Hyten, the vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon when asked about the satellite launch.

Hyten, who previously oversaw the nation’s nuclear weapons portfolio as the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said he could not confirm if the Iranian satellite was successfully launched into orbit, noting that it takes time and tracking to determine the outcome. 

He added that the launch was another example of Iran’s malign behavior and comes a week after Iranian fast boats harassed U.S. Navy ships in the Persian Gulf. 

“We’re trying to create a safe environment for maritime transit in that part of the world. That’s what the force over there is to do, and the malign behavior of Iran that questions that causes significant risks to the safety and security of that region of the world and therefore the world as a whole,” Hyten said of the incident.

President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that the United States would destroy Iranian gunboats that harass American ships at sea.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/22/iran-launches-noor-its-first-military-satellite.html

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