One day after the three European signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) condemned the launch of the Soraya satellite using the Qaem 100 launcher through a joint statement, Iranian media reported the launch of three new satellites.
According to the regime’s Mehr News Agency, a light satellite from the Iranian Space Research Institute’s satellite series and the CubeSat nanosatellites Kayhan 2 and Hatef 1, developed by the Iranian company SA Iran, were launched into space.
On January 27, Britain, France, and Germany announced that the Qaem 100 launcher uses technology that is vital for the development of Iran’s long-range ballistic missile system, indicating Iran’s disregard for the restrictions imposed by the United Nations.
Britain, Germany, and France stated in their joint statement that they remain committed to taking all diplomatic steps to prevent the development of nuclear weapons by the Iranian regime and to hold Tehran accountable for all destabilizing activities in the region and the world.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Saturday, January 27, that it had successfully placed the Soraya satellite into a 750-kilometer orbit around the Earth. Three European signatories of the JCPOA believe that the actions provide Iran with the ability to test the necessary technology for further development of its ballistic missile program.
Concerns over the regime’s missile program and the potential threat it poses to regional and global countries have prompted the United States to take preemptive measures against these programs.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions on 11 individuals, eight entities, and one vessel on Wednesday, January 24, for their involvement in the destabilizing ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle programs of Iran’s regime.
On January 24, the U.S. Department of State stated that the United States has taken multiple actions to address Iran’s nuclear program, missile development and proliferation, terrorism financing, and other concerning and destabilizing behaviors inside and throughout the region and the world.
Although the Iranian regime claims not to have the intention to develop nuclear weapons and describes its nuclear program as peaceful, European Troika members believe that the regime’s ballistic missile program and its missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads pose a significant threat to regional and global security.
