Iran said it launched a rocket with a satellite carrier delivering three research devices into space. The announcement was made on state television on Thursday, though it is not known when the launch took place, nor what devices the Phoenix rocket was carrying. Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Ahmad Hosseini said in the broadcast that the satellite carrier performed “properly,” but did not confirm if the research devices reached orbit, according to The Associated Press. The launch comes as Iran and the world powers are in the middle of an eighth round of negotiations in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which trades a rollback in Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. The AP reported that satellite images it saw earlier this month suggested that a satellite launch was “imminent.”