Iran Launches Payload into Space

An anonymous reader writes "BBC is reporting that Iran has launched its first space rocket carrying a payload. Britain's former ambassador to Iran, Sir Richard Dalton, told the BBC that, if confirmed, such a move could destabilise the Middle East: "It is a matter of concern. Iran's potential nuclear military programme, combined with an advanced missile capability, would destabilise the region, and of course if there were a bomb that could be placed on the end of this missile, it would in breach of Iran's obligations under the non-proliferation treaty." From the article: Iranian TV broke the news of the reported test saying :"The first space rocket has been successfully launched into space. It quoted the head of Iran's aerospace research centre, Mohsen Bahrami, as saying that "the rocket was carrying material intended for research created by the ministries of science and defence". In 2005, Iran's Russian-made satellite was put into orbit by a Russian rocket. But shortly afterwards Iranian military officials said they were preparing a satellite launch vehicle of their own and last month, they announced they were ready to test it soon."

Comments

MMmmmmm....

[Anonymous Coward]

Neocon trollbait articles in the morning. Tastyeee. Oh yeah. WHAT ABOUT ISRAEL'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS? So much for a nuclear free region. Iran needs nuclear weapons because it's the only deterrent that US/Israeli imperialistic fascists respect. Just ask North Korea.

Re:"Space" rocket?

[waldo2020]

Hey moron, who do you think will be supplying the weapons if your American Idiot decides to invade Iran? Let's face it, there's no bigger asshat on the planet than Bush.

Re:I dunno...

[Reaperducer]

the British basically said, "We wash our hands of the whole thing"

This seems to be a recurring theme and the root of much of the modern instability in the Middle East. Israel, Afghanistan, the Suez, Iraq.. It seems like the Brits like to run away from their problems and then let other countries clean it up after its festered for a few decades.

If I hadn't been through passport control between the two, I'd think that Britain and France were one in the same.