Iran launches satellites on Russian rockets as Moscow-Tehran ties deepen

While the United States presses for negotiations aimed astatine ending the warfare successful Ukraine, Russia is signaling a parallel strategy — deepening practice with U.S. adversaries and portraying itself arsenic resistant to Western pressure.

That posture was connected show this week erstwhile Iran announced that 3 of its domestically designed satellites were launched into orbit aboard a Russian rocket.

The motorboat was broadcast by Iran’s Arabic-language authorities tv transmission Al-Alam News Network, which aired footage showing the satellites lifting disconnected from Russian territory. The Associated Press and Reuters reported that the satellites were carried into orbit aboard a Russian rocket launched from eastbound Russia, marking the seventh clip Iran has conducted a outer motorboat with Russian assistance.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shingle hands arsenic they conscionable successful Moscow, Russia Jan. 17, 2025. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool via Reuters)

Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said the satellites were "designed and produced by Iranian scientists," adding that practice betwixt Tehran and Moscow continues "despite each the sanctions and threats," according to Iranian authorities media cited by Reuters.

Iranian officials assertion the satellites are intended for civilian purposes, including biology monitoring and agriculture, though Western governments person agelong warned that Iran’s abstraction programme could beforehand technologies applicable to ballistic rocket development.

The motorboat underscored a broader strategical narration betwixt Moscow that has expanded importantly since Russia’s penetration of Ukraine successful 2022. Iran has supplied Russia with drones and different subject instrumentality utilized connected the battlefield, portion Russia has provided diplomatic cover, economical practice and precocious method enactment amid sweeping Western sanctions connected some countries.

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A Russian warship and an Iranian service velocity vessel be a associated naval workout connected Tuesday. (AP/Iranian Army)

The increasing Russia-Iran alignment comes arsenic tensions betwixt Tehran and Washington proceed to rise. After President Donald Trump precocious warned that the United States could onslaught Iran again if it attempted to rebuild its atomic program, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a crisp response.

According to the Associated Press, Pezeshkian said immoderate U.S. onslaught would beryllium met with a "harsh and discouraging" response. Iranian officials framed the informing arsenic defensive, arguing it was meant to deter imaginable U.S. aggression alternatively than awesome an volition to initiate conflict. Tehran has repeatedly said its atomic programme is peaceful, a assertion the United States and its allies dispute.

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Russian service Mi-24 helicopters alert supra a warship astatine the Turali scope connected the Caspian Sea seashore successful the Republic of Dagestan successful Southern Russia connected Sept. 23, 2020 during the "Caucasus-2020" subject drills gathering China, Iran, Pakistan and Myanmar troops, on with ex-Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus. (Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images)

The speech highlights however Iran and Russia are progressively positioning themselves arsenic partners pushing backmost against U.S. pressure, adjacent arsenic Washington attempts to prosecute diplomacy connected aggregate fronts. Russia has portrayed its partnerships with Iran and different sanctioned states arsenic grounds that Western efforts to isolate Moscow person failed, portion Iran has utilized its practice with Russia to showcase technological resilience nether sanctions.