TEHRAN, Iran: Russia put an Iranian remote sensing and imaging satellite into orbit on Thursday, state media in Tehran reported, drawing condemnation from the United States.
The launch of Pulse I by a Russian Soyuz 2.1b rocket was broadcast live on Iranian state television.
According to the state news agency IRNA, this satellite was launched from Russia’s Vostochny base, about 8,000 kilometers east of Moscow.
Pars-I is “fully developed” inside Iran, which has launched 12 satellites in the past two years, Iran’s Communications Minister Isa Zarepour said.
Moscow is seeking to strengthen cooperation with other countries ostracized by the West, including Iran, which is accused of supplying Moscow with armed drones for attacking Ukraine.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told media in Washington that the satellite launch is “another sign of deepening military cooperation between Iran and Russia.”
“This partnership is harmful to Ukraine, to Iran’s neighbours and to the international community. We have demonstrated our ability to take action in response,” he said.
He warned against further action if Iran sells ballistic missiles to Russia. In early February, the United States announced plans to impose more sanctions on Iran for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In August 2022, Russia sent Iran’s remote sensing satellite, the Khayyam satellite, to Kazakhstan, amid controversy over whether Russia would use Iran’s remote sensing satellites to better monitor military targets in the Ukraine war.
The Iranian government denies helping Russia and defends the satellite launch.
Iran announced in January that it had simultaneously launched three satellites into orbit, about a week after the IRGC’s research satellite was launched.
Western governments, including the United States, have repeatedly warned Iran against such launches, saying similar technology could be used in ballistic missiles, including those designed to launch nuclear warheads.
Iran is of the stated position that it is not seeking nuclear weapons and that its satellite and missile launches were only for civilian or defence purposes.
