US doubts Iran space launch claim | Herald Sun

US doubts Iran space launch claim | Herald Sun: "US doubts Iran space launch claim

From correspondents in Washington

February 27, 2007 07:03am
Article from: Agence France-Presse

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THE US military has no evidence to corroborate an Iranian claim that it fired a rocket into space and suspects that the event never happened.

Iranian space officials said yesterday they launched a 'sounding rocket' into space for research purposes, reaching an altitude of 150km.

They said the rocket did not go into orbit.

'We have no indication that that's true,' a US defence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Nothing we've come up with would indicate that's happened.'

The official said it was highly unlikely that such a space shot would have gone undetected by the North American Aerospace Defence Command, which monitors missile launches worldwide.

'Even our training launches are recorded,' the official said. 'There was nothing on this one.'

'The intelligence assessments points to that the event didn't happen,' the official said.

Iran's state television announced what it said was Iran's first successful space launch.

'The rocket was carrying material intended for research created by the ministries of science and defence,' Mohsen Bahrami, the head"