Tensions between the US and Iran have been especially high ever since Trump in 2018 withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reinstated harsh sanctions against Iran. The JCPOA stipulated that Iran would receive waivers from sanctions if it agreed to limit its nuclear programme.

Iran on Monday shared a video of its new domestically-made satellite launch vehicle in action. The satellite uses solid-fuel technology.

In a solid rocket, the "fuel and oxidizer are mixed together into a solid propellant which is packed into a solid cylinder," according to a blog post by NASA.

The three-stage rocket utilizes solid fuel in the first and second stages and fluid fuel in the third stage.

The launch was aired on Iranian state TV on Monday. The rocket, named Zuljanah, is believed to reach a height of 310 miles, according to the Associated Press. In addition, the satellite carrier is 25.5 meters long and weighs 52 tons. The rocket did not launch a satellite into orbit.

According to Ahmad Hosseini, spokesperson for the country's Defense Ministry's space department, the rocket is capable of carrying a single 220-kilogram satellite or up to 10 smaller ones.

Iran frequently tests its new military projects around national holidays. The country is expected to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution later this month.

Last month, Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed former US President Donald Trump for imposing new sanctions on Iran's metal industry, targeting companies in China, Europe and the United Kingdom.

Tensions between the US and Iran continue to be high
In a Monday interview with NBC News, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Iran was months away from developing a nuclear bomb, noting that the administration of US President Joe Biden will return to the Iran nuclear deal as long as Tehran returns to compliance, Al-Jazeera reported.

In addition, Blinken revealed that the US plans to negotiate a "longer and stronger" nuclear accord with the Middle Eastern country.

However, Iran has said that it would not renegotiate the deal.

"The nuclear accord is a multilateral international agreement ratified by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which is non-negotiable and parties to it are clear and unchangeable," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told state media Saturday, Al-Jazeera reported.

Source: RIA Novosti

Related Links
Iranian Space Agency
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

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Top US diplomat Blinken sees long road to Iran deal
Washington (AFP) Jan 27, 2021
The United States will only return to the Iran nuclear deal once Tehran meets its commitments, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, warning of a long road until verification. On his first full day as the top US diplomat, Blinken confirmed President Joe Biden's willingness to return to the deal trashed by his predecessor but rejected Iranian pressure for the United States to act first. "Iran is out of compliance on a number of fronts. And it would take some time, should it make the d ... read more