Iran is testing satellite launcher Zuljanah for the second time, according to state media, as nuclear talks resume.
Tehran, Iran – Iran has tested its Zuljanah satellite launcher for the second time for investigative 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 target and that the data collected from the launch would report a third planned launch.
State television aired footage of the launch, which appeared to be progressing smoothly, but there was no confirmation as to whether it was successful.
The launch comes after weeks of speculation, as satellite images appeared to show that Iran was preparing for a launch at the Imam Khomeini spaceport in Semnan province.
Several Iranian aerospace specialists have died in mysterious circumstances in recent weeks. It is unclear if there is any connection.
The Iranian defense ministry, in charge of launching Zuljana, said one of them, Mohammad Abdous, 33, was his employee and died while he was “on a mission” to Semnan, without giving further details.
Iranian officials had not made any comments before the release. There was no confirmation of when the launch took place.
Zuljanah’s latest launch, named after the horse of Shiite Islam’s third imam, Imam Hussein, comes months after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) successfully deployed a second military satellite. , called Noor 2, orbiting in March. . At the time, elite forces said Noor 2 was orbiting at an altitude of 500 km (311 miles).
Iran launched its first military satellite, the Noor, which means light, in an orbit 425 km (265 miles) above the Earth’s surface in 2020.
The United States has previously expressed concern about Iran’s satellite program, saying that the same long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used by Tehran to launch long-range weapons. possibly even a nuclear warhead.
Iran, however, has consistently rejected these warnings. He maintains that his nuclear program is strictly peaceful.
The news of the launch comes a day after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, traveling to Tehran, agreed with Iranian officials to restart talks with the United States to restore Iran’s nuclear deal. 2015 with the world powers.
If successful, the talks could lift most of the harsh sanctions the U.S. has imposed on Iran since 2018, when Washington unilaterally abandoned the deal. In return, Iran will reinstate major restrictions on its nuclear program it had agreed to as part of the original agreement.