• Iran Launches New Satellite Into Space Using Technology Feared by West

    From a425couple@21:1/5 to All on Mon Sep 16 10:19:18 2024
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    Of course the White House has nothing to say about this that the
    Democrats have allowed.

    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

    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
    Putin ally issues new nuclear warning: "Irreversible consequences"
    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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