• raise concern in the United States?

Iran says the satellite is for environmental purposes

Russia has successfully launched an Iranian satellite into Earth orbit amid US concerns about its targets.

The satellite, called "Khiam", was launched from the Russian Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan.

Iran has said it will use its new satellite for environmental monitoring missions, and it will remain under Tehran's control only.

But US officials this week revealed to the Washington Post concerns that Moscow could use the satellite to spy on troop movements in Ukraine.

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Russia faces difficulties in pursuing its military objectives in Ukraine. Officials claimed that the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, had told Tehran it planned to control the new moon for "several months or more" to help with its military operations.

The unnamed sources added to the Washington Post that the new satellite could give Iran and Russia "unprecedented capabilities" to monitor troop movements and bases almost continuously.

But Tehran rejected these allegations, and confirmed that it would control the moon and would fully operate it "from day one".

An Iranian statement said on Tuesday that "the rumors about the use of satellite images for military purposes are false."

The Iranian space agency said the satellite is equipped with a high-resolution camera and will be used in agricultural programs, water resource monitoring, and other environmental applications.

The official Iranian news agency IRNA confirmed that the Iranian space agency had already received the initial data from the satellite.

The launch comes just three weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran, where he met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

During the meeting, the two sides pledged to deepen bilateral relations, especially as the two countries are subject to Western sanctions led by the United States.

Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov said the launch was a "milestone" in relations and cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.

Iranian Communications Minister Issa Zareepour, who traveled to Kazakhstan to attend the launch, described the new satellite as "a turning point to start a new interaction in the space field between our two countries."

The launch also comes at a time of heightened tension between the United States and Tehran, after the European Union presented a "final text" in talks to revive the failed nuclear deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Officials in Washington and Tehran must now decide whether to sign the draft proposals.

The new satellite is named "Khayyam", after the Persian poet and philosopher Omar Khayyam, and represents a rare successful launch of the Iranian regime after several failed attempts in recent years.