Iran Fires Satellite-Carrying Rocket Into Space, Though Probably Not Into Orbit
‘YES WE CAN’
Iran has announced the launch of a satellite-carrying rocket in a move apparently timed to put pressure on stalled UN nuclear talks. State TV showed footage of a white Simorgh rocket bearing the slogan “We Can” blasting off from a desert spaceport. Officials said it carried three devices 290 miles up into space, but they stopped short of saying any of the satellites had actually made it into orbit. That might be a moot point for negotiators in Vienna trying against the odds to resurrect a nuclear deal that collapsed three years ago after the U.S. withdrawal under President Trump. Iran insists that its satellite program is for peaceful purposes, but Washington says it could be used to develop ballistic missile technology. Under its new conservative president, Ebrahim Raisi, Iran has significantly hardened its stance in the Vienna negotiations.