Iran space program front for nuclear ambitions: Pompeo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a press briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, on April 22, 2020. (File/AFP)

• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced last week that it launched its first military satellite into space
• Britain said on Friday that Iran's launch of a military satellite using ballistic missile technology this week was "of significant concern"

DUBAI: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed Iran on Saturday calling its space program a front for nuclear ambitions just days after Tehran said it launched a satellite into orbit.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced last week that it launched its first military satellite into space from a previously unused launchpad and with a new system.
“Deeply troubling that the IRGC, a Foreign Terrorist Organization, launched a military satellite,” Pompeo said in a Tweet.

The #IRGC, a U.S. designated terror organization, attempted to launch a satellite. As President @realDonaldTrump has said, we will take all necessary measures to protect our people. pic.twitter.com/6mDoNK6JBa

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) April 23, 2020

The US secretary said that Iran “continues to lie that its space program is peaceful, civilian, and transparent.”
“Their secret space program advances technologies used in nuclear weapons delivery systems,” he added.
Britain said on Friday that Iran's launch of a military satellite using ballistic missile technology this week was "of significant concern" and inconsistent with a United Nations Security Council resolution.