An Iranian satellite carried by a Russian missile was launched from a base in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, according to live footage broadcast by the Russian space agency, Roscosmos. The scenes showed a Soyuz-1.2B missile carrying a "Khiyam" satellite, taking off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is operated by Russia, at the exact time of the operation at 5:52 GMT. The moon, which is likely to bear this name in relation to the Persian scientist and poet Omar Khayyam, who lived between the eleventh and twelfth centuries, aims to “control the country’s borders” and improve productivity in the field of agriculture, control water resources and manage natural hazards, according to the Iranian news agency. Erna". The announcement of the satellite launch was followed by a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Iran on July 19, where he met President Ebrahim Raisi and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who called for strengthening "long-term cooperation" between the two countries. In June 2021, Putin denied US press reports about Russia's intention to provide an advanced satellite system for Iran in order to improve its espionage capabilities. Iran asserts that its space program is for civilian and defense purposes exclusively, and does not violate any international agreements, including the agreement with the six major powers regarding its nuclear program, which was concluded in 2015, and the United States withdrew from it in 2018. Iranian space activities often receive condemnation from Western countries against the backdrop of fears that Tehran will resort to enhancing its expertise in the field of ballistic missiles by launching satellites into space. Iran confirmed on Sunday that its satellite, scheduled to be launched by Russia next week, will be under its control "from day one", denying US reports of its use by Moscow in the context of its war against Ukraine. Iran has previously launched satellites directly from its territory, most recently in March 2022 with the "Noor 2" military satellite of the Revolutionary Guards.

AFP