伊朗一颗卫星发射失败
Iran said it "successfully" launched a satellite Sunday but failed to put it into orbit, in a blow to its space program that the US alleges is a cover for missile development.
伊朗表示，周日“成功”发射一枚卫星但未进入预定轨道，这对该国的太空项目是一个打击，美国则表示这是伊朗研究导弹的一个借口。
The attempted launch of the Zafar - "Victory" in Farsi - comes days before the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and crucial parliamentary elections in Iran.
Arch foes Iran and the United States have appeared to be on the brink of an all-out confrontation twice in the past seven months.
Long-standing acrimony between Tehran and Washington was exacerbated in 2018 when US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a deal that froze Iran's nuclear program, before issuing new demands that Tehran curtail its development of ballistic missiles.
Washington has also raised concerns in the past about Tehran's satellite program, saying the launch of a carrier rocket in January 2019 amounted to a violation of limits on its ballistic missiles.
Iran maintains it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons, and says its aerospace activities are peaceful and comply with a UN Security Council resolution.
On Sunday, it launched the Zafar satellite at 7:15 pm but it fell short of reaching orbit, the defense ministry said.