Trump Denies US Involved in Iranian Satellite Rocket Failure
President Donald Trump on Friday said that the
United States had nothing to do with Iran’s Safir satellite rocket failure.
"The United States of America was not involved
in the catastrophic accident during final launch preparations for the Safir SLV
Launch at Semnan Launch Site One in Iran," Trump said in a tweet.
He also tweeted a high-resolution picture of the
location, with annotations pointing to damaged vehicles and the launch gantry.
Tehran was believed to have been planning a third
attempt to loft a satellite into space.
Washington keeps a close eye on Iranian space
activities as an indicator of advances in its nuclear and ballistic missiles
programs. However, Iran denies seeking a nuclear bomb in contravention of UN
resolutions.
Michael Elleman, Director of the Nonproliferation
and Nuclear Policy Program at the International Institute for Strategic
Studies, said he does not know "of a single satellite launcher that's been
converted into a ballistic missile."
Satellite images showed Thursday the smoldering
remains of a rocket at the Khomeini Space Center in Iran's Semnan province.
The satellite, which had Iran's first foldable solar
panels, was supposed to be in a low orbit around the Earth for some
two-and-a-half months, the Associated Press reported.
But it apparently exploded on its launch pad.
