IT SEEMS cutting a ribbon was never an option. On Monday, Iran fired a rocket into space to mark the opening of its space centre, provoking a variety of opinions on the country鈥檚 military threat.
According to Iranian state media, the rocket will be followed by the launch of a research satellite named Omid (meaning 鈥渉ope鈥�) in March 2009. But the move has renewed fears that Iran may be able to launch intercontinental missiles. 鈥淚f a country has the technology to loft a satellite into space, then it is exactly the same type of technology necessary to launch a warhead thousands of miles,鈥� says Richard Lehner of the US Missile Defense Agency in Washington DC.
Andrew Brookes of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London thinks the launch may have been a political show, because Israel tested a missile a few weeks ago. 鈥淭his could be Iran telling Israel that whatever you can do, we can do too,鈥� he says. He thinks the west need not fret about a military threat on this evidence alone. 鈥淚ran could easily just be planning to launch civilian satellites,鈥� he says.
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