Iran Launches Missile Into Space As Biden Admin Fails To Negotiate New Nuclear Deal

On Sunday, Iran’s state television announced that the country had launched a solid-fueled rocket into space, drawing criticism from the United States ahead of plans for continued negotiations over the Iranian nuclear deal.

“It’s unclear when or where the rocket was launched, but the announcement came after satellite photos showed preparations at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran’s rural Semnan province, the site of Iran’s frequent failed attempts to put a satellite into orbit,” the Associated Press reported. “Iran had previously acknowledged that it planned more tests for the satellite-carrying rocket, which it first launched in February of last year.”

“Ahmad Hosseini, spokesman for Iran’s Defense Ministry, said Zuljanah, a 25.5 meter-long rocket, was capable of carrying a satellite of 220 kilograms (485 pounds) that would ultimately gather data in low-earth orbit and promote Iran’s space industry. Zuljanah is named for the horse of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad,” the Associated Press added.

According to the report, the White House is aware of Iran’s announcement and said the move was “unhelpful and destabilizing.”

Iran’s state-run media aired dramatic footage of the missile launch amid heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, which has accelerated as President Biden’s administration has failed to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran.

According to a report earlier this year, three Biden administration negotiators working on a renewed nuclear deal with Iran gave up and left the team because they thought that President Biden was being too weak in dealing with Iran during negotiations.

“U.S. officials confirmed over the weekend that Richard Nephew, the deputy special envoy for Iran, has left the team. Mr. Nephew, an architect of previous economic sanctions on Iran, had advocated a tougher posture in the current negotiations, and he hasn’t attended the talks in Vienna since early December,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “Two other members of the team, which is led by State Department veteran Robert Malley, have stepped back from the talks, the people familiar said, because they also wanted a harder negotiating stance.”