While Iran still needs to build an atomic weapon and get it small enough and robust enough to work on a ballistic missile, Iran has demonstrated that it can build an intercontinental ballistic missile with this achievement:
Iran launched a satellite into earth orbit Wednesday, Iran's state TV reported, in a feat that is likely to raise concerns among those who fear Iran's intentions and nuclear development program.
It's their second successful test (the other was in 2009). As I said, it demonstrated military potential:
Iran's decade-long space program has raised alarms in the West, because the same technology that allows missiles to launch satellites can be used to fire warheads. Israel, the U.S. and others charge that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies that.
Of course, if Iran manages to buy a warhead from someone, that would save a lot of time. I tend to think Iran would want to do that since it knows that there is a red line that their nuclear program could cross that would trigger a Western or Israeli strike. Having one or two nuclear missiles before Iran reaches that red line would help deter such an attack and allow Iran to begin production of locally made nuclear missiles.
Have a nice day.
UPDATE: I stand corrected, in part:
Iran launched its second photo satellite. Locally made, using nanosatellite technology, the Rasad-1 is in a low earth orbit (260 kilometers up). The Rasad-1 weighs 15.2 kg (34 pounds) and uses a design popular with student experiments in the West.
Clearly, no nuclear warhead is going to fit on that missile. I didn't realize the payload was so small. The first Sputnik was 183 pounds.
But that's where the Iranians are going.
