US State Secy Pompeo calls for UN Conventional Arms Embargo on Iran, says space programme dangerous

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday called for extending the UN Conventional Arms Embargo on Iran, saying the Islamic Republic's recent launch of a military satellite proved its space programme was neither peaceful nor entirely civilian.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday announced that the country's first military satellite -- Noor -- was put into orbit. The launch comes amidst rising tensions with the US.

"This week's launch of a military satellite by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, makes clear what we have said all along: Iran's space program is neither peaceful nor entirely civilian," Pompeo said in a strongly-worded statement.

For years, Iran has claimed its space program is purely peaceful and civilian. The Trump administration has never believed this fiction, he said
"He (Berari) also said that "all our activities in the domain of outer space are transparent."
Iran's Minister for Information Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi claimed this week that "Iran's space program is peaceful."