Russia and China aren’t the only ones making concerning moves during Biden’s tenure as president. Iran is now launching satellites into space with unknown devices that may or may not have achieved what they claim:
AP – Iran launched a rocket with a satellite carrier bearing three devices into space, authorities announced Thursday, without saying whether any of the objects had entered Earth’s orbit.
It was not clear when the launch happened or what devices the carrier brought with it. Iran aired footage of the blastoff against the backdrop of negotiations in Vienna to restore Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers. An eight round had been underway this week and is to resume after New Year’s holidays.
Previous launches have drawn rebukes from the United States. The U.S. State Department, Space Force and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday’s announcement from Iran.
Ahmad Hosseini, a Defense Ministry spokesman, identified the rocket as a Simorgh, or “Phoenix,” rocket that sent up the three devices 470 kilometers (290 miles).
“The performance of the space center and the performance of the satellite carrier was done properly,” Hosseini was quoted as saying.
But hours later, Hosseini and other officials remained silent on the the status of the objects, suggesting the rocket had fallen short of placing its payload into the correct orbit. Hosseini offered a speed for the satellite carrier that state-associated journalists reporting on the event indicated wouldn’t be enough to reach orbit.
The real concern is Iran’s ballistic missile program:
The blast-offs have raised concerns in Washington about whether the technology used to launch satellites could advance Iran’s ballistic missile development. The United States says that such satellite launches defy a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on Iran to steer clear of any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Iran has been test firing ballistic missiles for years, with one in 2018 said to be ‘nuclear capable’. We’ve reported in the past that the US is concerned that Iran is preparing for a massive war in the Middle East. That was three years ago.
My biggest concern is that with Biden as president Iran may see this as the time to act, to further their plans for war, just like China and Ukraine. In fact they may be waiting on China and Russia to distract the US with their own wars in order to act. I don’t really know, but I do fear what 2022 might bring to the world under Biden.