Iran calls launch of satellite carrier scientific, not military

Aug 18, 2008, 11:42 GMT

Tehran - Iran on Monday said that the launching of its satellite carrier was a scientific rather than military project, official news agency IRNA reported.

'The enemies of Iran are trying to distort Iran's scientific achievements and portray them as a military issue,' Defence Minister Mostafa-Mohammad Najar was quoted by IRNA as saying.

The United States and Israel voiced concern about the launching of the 'Safir'e Omid' (Hope Envoy) rocket into orbit over the weekend which, according to Tehran, carried a dummy satellite, as the same technology could also be used for carrying ballistic missiles.

But the defence minister said the world was aware of the reality that the rocket was just an 'ultra-modern scientific achievement' for Iran.

The general blamed the US and Israel for exposing this 'technological breakthrough' as a military move.

Iran declared the test a success for its plan over the next two years to launch four satellites for research, especially for improvement of telecommunications and monitoring of natural disasters.

Tehran also said it would help other Islamic states to launch satellites into the orbit.