Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has successfully launched a military satellite into orbit for the first time, IRNA reported.
The satellite, named Nur (“Light”), reached an orbit of 425km (264 miles) after being carried by a three-stage Qased launcher, a statement said.
Iran has attempted several launches in the past year that have failed.
Hours afterwards, US President Donald Trump tweeted that he had instructed the US Navy to “shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea”.
