Defense analyst Andrew Brookes of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London agreed that Iran was advancing but he said the test was nothing remarkable as the country had already developed ballistic missiles.
"We know Iran can fire missiles. This proves nothing new in terms of technology and capability," Brookes said. "You can't link this with nuclear weapons yet. It might just be a civilian launch."
04 February 2008: Reuters
Parisa Hafezi and Fredrik Dahl , Reuters
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran launched a rocket on Monday designed to carry its first locally-made research satellite next year, showing the country's advances in ballistics at a time when the West is already jittery about Iran's nuclear plans.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad read out the launch countdown before the rocket blasted off to chants of "God is greatest" by an audience of officials in a control room, state TV reported.
The technology used to put satellites into space could also be used for launching weapons, but analysts voiced different opinions about the significance of Iran's latest announcement.
The West fears Iran is trying to master nuclear technology so it can build weapons. Iran insists its plans are peaceful.
Britain-based defense analyst Paul Beaver said the implications of the test may worry the United States and Israel.
"If they (Iran) can send a satellite into orbit ... the Israelis will claim there is no reason why they can't launch a weapon system in the same way or why they can't make a long-range ballistic missile," he told Reuters.
TV footage showed the rocket soaring into the sky from a desert launch pad, leaving a vapor trail. A parachute appeared to drop from the rocket shortly after the launch. State television gave few details about the rocket.
"This achievement will ... strengthen Iran's position in the region and the world," Reza Talainik, a member of parliament's Foreign Affairs and National Security committee told the official IRNA news agency.
State media said the research satellite, called Omid (Hope), would be launched by March 2009.
ACTIVE SPACE PRESENCE
"We need to have an active and influential presence in space," Ahmadinejad said in a televised ceremony. "Building and launching a satellite is a very important achievement."
Western experts say Iran rarely gives enough details for them to determine the extent of its technological advances, and much Iranian technology consists of modifications of equipment supplied by China, North Korea and others.
But Beaver said Iran was making technological progress.
"I think it is yet another indication that Iran's technology is moving very quickly up the scale," he told Reuters.
Defense analyst Andrew Brookes of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London agreed that Iran was advancing but he said the test was nothing remarkable as the country had already developed ballistic missiles.
"We know Iran can fire missiles. This proves nothing new in terms of technology and capability," Brookes said. "You can't link this with nuclear weapons yet. It might just be a civilian launch."
But he noted it came just a few weeks after Israel, Iran's arch foe in the Middle East, tested a missile. Israel is widely assumed to have nuclear warheads and missiles able to hit Iran.
"This could be Iran telling Israel that whatever you can do we can do too," Brookes said.
Iran, which refuses to recognize Israel, has an array of medium-range missiles. It says its longest-range missile can reach 2,000 km (1,250 miles), meaning it could hit Israel and U.S. military bases in the Gulf.
Ahmadinejad has often predicted the demise of Israel but insists the Islamic Republic is not a threat to any country.
U.S. officials have accused Iran of aiming to equip its missiles with nuclear warheads. Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, says its nuclear program is designed only to generate electricity and preserve its oil and gas for export.
(Editing by Matthew Jones)
