Iran is testing a Zuljanah satellite rocket for the second time, according to state media, as nuclear talks have to resume.
Tehran, Iran – Iran is testing its Zuljanah satellite rocket for the second time for research purposes, according to state media.
Iranian media on Sunday quoted a Defense Ministry spokesman as saying that the satellite vehicle was launched with a suborbital purpose and that the data collected from the launch would inform of a third planned launch.
State television broadcast footage of the launch, which appeared to have gone smoothly, but there was no confirmation as to whether it was successful.
The launch comes after weeks of speculation, as satellite images have surfaced showing Iran preparing to launch into the Imam Khomeini spaceport in Semnan province.
Several Iranian aerospace experts have died under mysterious circumstances in recent weeks. It is not clear if there is any connection.
The Iranian Ministry of Defense, responsible for the shooting of Zuljanah, said one of them, 33-year-old Mohammad Abdus, was an employee of his and died while on a “mission” in Semnan, without giving further details.
Iranian officials did not comment before the launch. There was no confirmation of when the launch took place.
Zuljanah’s latest launch – named after the horse of the third imam in Shiite Islam, Imam Hussein – comes months after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) successfully launched a second military satellite called Noor 2 in March. . At the time, elite forces said Noor 2 was in orbit at an altitude of 500 km (311 miles).
Iran launched its first military satellite, Noor, meaning light, into orbit 425 km (265 miles) above the earth’s surface in 2020.
Earlier, the United States expressed concern about Iran’s satellite program, saying the same long-range ballistic technology used to launch satellites into orbit could be used by Tehran to launch long-range weapons, possibly even nuclear warheads. head.
However, Iran has consistently rejected such warnings. She claims that her nuclear program is strictly peaceful.
The news of the launch comes a day after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, during a trip to Tehran, agreed with Iranian officials to resume talks with the United States on restoring Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. .
If successful, the talks could remove most of the harsh sanctions the United States has imposed on Iran since 2018, when Washington unilaterally withdrew from the agreement. In return, Iran will restore the significant restrictions on its nuclear program that it agreed to as part of the original agreement.
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