August 19, 2008	Tuesday	Sha’aban 16, 1429

TEHRAN: Iran said on Monday it was ready to help fellow Muslim states launch satellites into orbit after it successfully put a dummy satellite into orbit — a move that may increase western suspicions over its atomic ambitions.

Iran said on Sunday it had put the home-grown dummy satellite into orbit on a domestically made rocket for the first time. The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into space can also be used for launching weapons. Iran says has no intention to do so.

Head of Iran’s Aerospace Organisation, Reza Taghipour, said Iran wanted to help Muslim countries to launch satellites.

“I am announcing now that Iran is ready to launch satellites of friendly Islamic countries into space,” Taghipour told state television.

Embroiled in a standoff with the West over its nuclear ambitions, Iran in February tested another domestically made rocket as part of its satellite programme. Taghipour said Iran was planning to build and launch more satellites by 2010.

“We are working on these satellites and gradually they will be put into orbit,” he told the semi-official Mehr news agency.—Reuters