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point, saw the biggest passenger decrease, at 10% y/y, with 669,296 people using the airport.
Iran appeared to suffer its third failed attempt at a space rocket launch this year on August 29 after an explosion on the launch pad at the Imam Khomeini Space Center.
An anonymous Iranian official quoted by Reuters said the rocket suffered "some technical issues and it exploded but our young scientists are working to fix the problem". The news agency also referred to satellite images from the commercial company Planet Labs which showed a black plume of smoke rising above a launch pad at the space centre in Iran's Semnan Province in the north of the country.
On August 24, US National Public Radio, also citing imagery from Planet Labs, reported that it looked like Iran was getting ready for a space rocket launch. The US has accused Tehran of developing technology to launch satellites into orbit partly to help it develop rockets that could carry nuclear weapons. Iran has denied the accusation. It says a fatwa issued by the supreme leader forbids the country from building a nuclear bomb. None of the ballistic missiles it is developing are designed to carry a nuclear payload, Tehran adds.
David Schmerler, a senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, told The Associated Press that "whatever happened there, it blew up and you're looking at the smouldering remains of what used to be there".
Iran suffered failed space rocket launches in both January and February this year.
The country launched its first satellite Omid (Hope) in 2009. That was followed by the Rasad (Observation) satellite in June 2011. In 2012, a third domestically made satellite, Navid (Promise), was successfully placed in orbit, according to Iranian officials.
9.1.4 Transport sector news
Iran and Turkey are in discussions for the launching of a weekly round trip train service between Tehran and Istanbul, Mehr News Agency reported on August 27.
The announcement follows the recent relaunching of the Tehran-Ankara train, which was suspended for four years after an explosion on the line allegedly caused by PKK Kurdish militants. Seen as a low-cost way to get between the neighbouring countries, the route remains popular with those looking for an affordable vacation.
Saeed Rasuli, director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways ( RAI), said negotiations had begun with State Railways of the Republic of Turkey (TCDD) on launching the Istanbul-Tehran route.
Rasuli added that the two sides had long planned to connect the Iranian capital with Turkey’s biggest city and cultural and commercial capital, but issues including security and economic sanctions had pushed the project on to the backburner.
The Tehran-Ankara journey takes around 60 hours end-to-end. The train stops in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz before crossing the border and reaching the Turkish province of Van.
Passengers are then placed on a ferry to get across Lake Van before reboarding to complete the train journey to Ankara.
Iran’s railways have undergone substantial expansion in recent years, including investment in connections with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. The
38 IRAN Country Report September 2019 www.intellinews.com