Iran’s IRGC Announces Launch of First Military Satellite

Iran has launched its first military satellite into orbit, its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a surprise announcement on Wednesday, amid growing tensions with the United States. There was no independent confirmation of the launch and no comment from the US State or Defense departments. The claimed launch raises concerns because the rocket technology required to launch such a satellite could be applied to the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. And following US President Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the country may be developing the nuclear weapons that would arm such ICBMs. On its official website, the Guard said the satellite, called “Noor,” or light, reached an orbit of 425 kilometers (264 miles) above the Earth’s surface. It was said to have been launched on a previously unheard-of three-stage rocket called Ghased, or “Messenger,” from Iran’s Central Desert, using both liquid and solid fuel. The Guard did not say exactly when the launch took place. But on state TV, an announcer said Wednesday that “this honorable launch happened this morning.” Wednesday also marks the 41st anniversary of the founding of the Guard by Iran’s late leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.