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off from Iran’s Central Desert, an official statement added. There was no independent confirmation of the success of the mission said to have placed the multipurpose satellite 425 kilometres above the Earth’s surface.
In recent years, several attempts by Iran to launch satellites into space have failed, while at the same time sparking renewed accusations from the US that Iran’s space programme is used as a cover for clandestine ballistic missile development objectives with the ultimate aim of achieving a missile that could take a nuclear payload, something that is refuted by Tehran. The last attempted launch was in February when there was a failure to place communications satellite “Zafar 1”, or “Victory 1”, into orbit after the rocket carrying it did not achieve the required speed, according to Iranian officials. IRGC Commander-in Chief, Major General Hossein Salami, said the successful launch of “Noor 1” would elevate Iran’s defence capabilities. “The acquisition of this rising technology that sends us to space and enhances the domain of our capabilities is a strategic achievement,” Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.
IRGC Aerospace Force commander Brig Gen Amir-Ali Hajizadeh said the rocket "used a compound of liquid and solid propellants", adding: "Only superpowers have such capability and the rest are just users of such technology."
Iranian state television broadcast footage from multiple angles of a rocket blasting off into a mostly clear blue sky.
The rocket bore the name “Qassed”, or "messenger", in what appeared to be the first time Iran had used a launcher of this type. Its fuselage also had a Koranic verse often recited by Muslims when going on a journey. It read: "Glory be to Him, who has subjected this to us, and we ourselves were not equal to it."
The apparent satellite success was also hailed by Iran's Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi. "Sincere congratulations to the IRGC Air Force for this great national achievement," he tweeted, adding he had visited the launch site three weeks ago. "They were great," he said of the satellite and what he described as a "three-stage solid fuel" launcher.
Over the past decade, Iran has sent several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013 launched a monkey into space.
9.1.5​Transport sector news
A total of 1,271 Iranian trucks carrying various goods have been escorted across parts of Armenian territory by police during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, Hayk Mheryan, deputy head of Armenia’s road traffic police has stated, ARKA reported on April 20. Despite the stringent restrictions on movement introduced in the country to combat the pandemic, Armenia has continued to allow the free movement of goods in order to maintain vital supplies.
Mheryan reportedly added that the movement of the Iranian truck drivers and the accompanying persons was limited and monitored. All goods imported from Iran via truck are transferred to Armenian vehicles in the Meghri border area, with contacts between Iranian drivers and Armenian counterparts curtailed, according to the road traffic police official.
Armenia’s traffic police and police patrol service have also provided escorts for people arriving at Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, who are then placed under a mandatory two-week quarantine, Mheryan said.
Armenia closed its border with Iran for general traffic and crossings in March, allowing through only trucks with designated cargoes. Armenian authorities
40​ IRAN Country Report May 2020 www.intellinews.com