Iran launches rocket into space amid Vienna nuclear talks; France slams Tehran's move

The French foreign ministry said on Friday slammed Iran for launching a rocket with a satellite carrier bearing three devices into space, reported Sputnik on Saturday. The launch came at a time when nuclear energy talks with Tehran were showing signs of progress. "France condemns this launch, which is not in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2231," a ministerial spokesperson said during a press conference, reportedly referring to the UN calls on Iran to stop working on the nuclear-capable ballistic missile technology. It is worth noting on December 30, Thursday, Iran aired footage of the blastoff against the backdrop of negotiations in Vienna to restore Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers.

According to a report by AP, the eight-round of meetings were held before Christmas and will resume after New Year’s holidays. "France sees the Iranian ballistic missile and space programs as overlapping due to the "closeness of technologies" used in space launches and missile tests. The Iranian Defence Ministry's involvement in the space launch further proves their "close link"," said the ministerial spokesperson. "These activities are all the more regrettable because they happened at a time when we are seeing progress in the nuclear negotiations in Vienna," added the spokesperson.

The US yet to react to the recent rocket launch

Notably, this was not the first time when Tehran launched a rocket when there were diplomatic negotiations were underway. Earlier, when Donald Trump was the President of the United States, Tehran had fired a similar rocket launch, resulting in rebukes from the United States. Though this time, the incumbent President Joe Biden and the military have not reacted to the rocket launch but the experts familiar with the developments noted the blast-offs have raised concerns in Washington about whether the technology used to launch satellites could advance Iran’s ballistic missile development. Earlier in the Trump regime, the United States pointed such satellite launches disregard a United Nations Security Council resolution. It should be noted Tehran has sent several short-lived satellites into orbit in the past decade. In 2013, Iran launched a monkey into space. But under Raisi, the government appears to have sharpened its focus on space. 

With inputs from agencies

Image: AP