Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace division that developed the Ghaem 100, said the missile would be used to launch Iran’s Nahid satellite for the telecommunications ministry, state media reported. Saturday’s test is likely to alarm Washington, which fears the same long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads. Iran regularly denies that it has any such intention. The news comes as the country continues to see widespread protests and calls for change over the death of Mahsa Amini. “The flight test of this solid-fuel powered satellite carrier … has been successfully completed,” state news agency IRNA reported. Iran, which has one of the largest missile programs in the Middle East, has had several failed satellite launches in recent years, blamed on technical issues. A 2015 UN resolution called on Iran to refrain for up to eight years from working on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons, following an agreement with six world powers. Iran says it has never sought to develop nuclear weapons and therefore the resolution does not apply to its ballistic missiles, which Tehran has described as an important deterrent and retaliatory force.
