By IANS
Tehran : Iran Tuesday dismissed the US concern over its space research programme and said that the launch of Explorer-1 rocket is only for research studies.
“The government is responsible for progress and development of the country and is not responsible for others’ concern,” Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said during his weekly press conference, official IRNA news agency reported.
“We have proved that we develop science and technology on the basis of morality and our legal rights,” he said, criticising the US for seeing the country’s scientific progress with suspicion.
Iran Monday showed off its space drive by launching its first space research centre and firing a rocket designed to send its first home-made satellite into space, a move that immediately irked its arch foe – the US.
Washington was quick to express its concern over Iran’s space research drive. “I saw this morning that Iran again tested a ballistic missile. It’s unfortunate that they continue to do that because it further isolates the country from the rest of the world,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Monday.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack also described the launch as “another troubling development.”
“The kinds of technologies and capabilities that are needed in order to launch a space vehicle for orbit are the same kinds of capabilities and technologies that one would employ for long-range ballistic missiles,” he said.
Rubbishing the comments by US officials, Elham said, “Iran’s space terminal has been designed to send the Islamic republic’s first homemade research satellite into orbit in the near future.”
“The country’s technological success cannot be a cause of concern for any country which is committed to peace, justice, and respect for others in the course of peaceful coexistence,” he added.
The US has been accusing Iran of trying to equip its missiles with nuclear warheads, a charge Iran has been rejecting, insisting that its nuclear programme is designed only to generate electricity and preserve its oil and gas for export.