DUBAI,
Jan 20 (Reuters) - Iran has successfully launched its Sorayya satellite
into orbit, Iranian state media reported on Saturday, in a move likely
to increase Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
The
satellite, which is being developed by the research arm of the civilian
Iranian Space Agency, was put into a 750 km (466 mile) orbit, the
highest successfully reached by Iran, the reports said.
The
50 kg (110 lb) satellite was launched by the Qaem 100, a three-stage
solid-fuel rocket built by the elite military Revolutionary Guards, they
said.
The
U.S. military says the long-range ballistic technology used to put
satellites into orbit could also allow Tehran to launch longer-range
weapons, possibly including nuclear warheads.
Tehran
denies U.S. assertions that such activity is a cover for ballistic
missile development and says it has never pursued the development of
nuclear weapons.
Iran,
which has one of the biggest missile programmes in the Middle East, has
suffered several failed satellite launches in recent years due to
technical issues.
In October, the United States took steps
to signal that Iran's missile programme would remain restricted, after
the expiration of U.N. Security Council sanctions and to curb Iran's
drone transfers to Russia.
Washington
had previously imposed sanctions on Iran's civilian space agency and
two research organisations in 2019, saying they were being used to
advance Tehran's ballistic missile programme.
<a href="" href="mailto:dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com">dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com" target="_blank">dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com</a>; Editing by David Evans and David Holmes