US brands Iran’s rocket launch ‘provocative’

The US has branded as ‘provocative’ Iran’s launch of the Kavoshgar 3 rocket, which is capable of carrying a satellite into space.

Iran on Tuesday successfully test-fired the Kavoshgar 3 satellite carrier, sending its third one into space.

“A launch like that is obviously a provocative act,” White House Spokesman, Bill Burton, claimed on Wednesday.

He, however, noted that US President Barack Obama believed that the door was still open for talks on the Iranian nuclear program.

“But the president believes that it is not too late for Iran to do the right thing, come to the table with the international community and live up to its international obligations.”

France also voiced concern over Iran’s announcement of the launch of the rocket. A French foreign ministry spokesman attributed the issue to Iran’s nuclear program and claimed that it could further complicate the issue.

“We react to the Iranian announcement with great concern,” the spokesman said Wednesday.

“This announcement can only reinforce the concerns of the international community as Iran in parallel develops a nuclear program that has no identifiable civil aims,” he asserted.

The Kavoshgar 3 (Explorer) rocket, carrying an experimental capsule, transfers telemetric data, live pictures and flight and environmental analysis data.

It is the most recent version of the previous models.