Iran said it has carried out a new space launch sending “three research cargos into space”.
The launch comes as talks between Iran and Western powers over the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal has stalled.
Iran’s Air Force spokesman Ahmad Hosseini said, “In this space research mission, for the first time, three research payloads were launched simultaneously.”
Also Read: US sounds caution against optimism by Iran, Russia over nuclear talks
US negotiators have been pushing Iran to roll back its nuclear programme which was restarted after former President Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2018 as his administration imposed harsh sanctions on Iran.
The US government said recently that talks on Iran’s nuclear programme had progressed too slowly. Iran has insisted that the US government should do away with sanctions imposed by the previous Trump administration even as President Biden has insisted that Iran should give up its nuclear programme.
Watch: US, Russian officials try to salvage 2015 Iran nuclear deal
The talks in Vienna were halted as Iran went to the polls in June, although it resumed last month negotiators decided to take a break.
Germany, Britain and France have asserted that negotiations are “urgent” while pointing out that there were issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme. The Western negotiators have repeatedly said that there are “weeks, not months” left to revive the nuclear deal.
Also Read | Nuclear talks can succeed with ‘good faith’: Iran
Iran has taken steps to enrich uranium although it has denied it is eying a nuclear weapon. Iran atomic agency director Mohammad Eslami had declared that the country has no plans to enrich uranium beyond 60 per cent ensuring it won’t produce nuclear weapons.
(With inputs from Agencies)
