. | . |
Iran seeks 3 more Khayyam satellites by AFP Staff Writers Tehran (AFP) Aug 12, 2022 Iran plans to commission three more versions of a satellite launched this week by Russia, Tehran's government spokesman said Friday. The Khayyam blasted into orbit on Tuesday, prompting US accusations that it is intended for spying. Iran dismissed Washington's claim as "childish." "The construction of three other Khayyam satellites with the participation of Iranian scientists is on the government's agenda," its spokesman Ali Bahadori-Jahromi said on Twitter. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket sent the satellite into orbit from the Moscow-controlled Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Responding to the launch, Washington said Russia's growing cooperation with Iran should be viewed as a "profound threat", but the head of Iran's Space Agency, Hassan Salarieh, dismissed the accusation. He said the Khayyam is designed to meet Iran's needs for "crisis and urban management, natural resources, mines, agriculture and so on." The Khayyam was built by the Russians under Iran's supervision, Salarieh said at a press conference on Wednesday. Ahead of the launch, The Washington Post quoted anonymous Western intelligence officials as saying that Russia "plans to use the satellite for several months or longer" to assist its war effort before allowing Iran to take control. Iran's space agency stressed on Sunday that it would control the satellite "from day one", in an apparent reaction to the Post's report. Khayyam, apparently named after the 11th-century Persian polymath Omar Khayyam, will not be the first Iranian satellite that Russia has put into space. In 2005, Iran's Sina-1 satellite was deployed from Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The new satellite launch came a day after the European Union submitted a "final text" at talks to salvage a 2015 deal aimed at reining in Iran's nuclear ambitions, and which Tehran said it was reviewing. The United States has accused Iran of effectively supporting Russia's war against Ukraine while adopting a "veil of neutrality". Iran insists its space programme is for civilian and defence purposes only, and does not breach the 2015 nuclear deal, or any other international agreement. Western governments worry that satellite launch systems incorporate technologies interchangeable with those used in ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, something Iran has always denied wanting to build.
Iran navy says repelled attack on ship in Red Sea Tehran (AFP) Aug 10, 2022 An Iranian naval flotilla thwarted an overnight attack on an Iranian vessel in the Red Sea, a senior commander said Wednesday. "The escort flotilla of the naval arm of Iran's armed forces, headed by the destroyer Jamaran... promptly deployed to the scene last night after receiving a request for help from an Iranian ship in the Red Sea, and engaged with the attacking boats," said the navy's deputy head of operations, Rear Admiral Mustafa Tajeddini. "Thanks to the effective (naval) presence and af ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |