# Iran # announces a "new generation" of missiles

Iran has revealed a missile it calls a new generation of advanced missiles capable of carrying satellites into space.

The announcement of the missile, named "Thunder 500", came hours before Iran launched a satellite into space.

The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Hussein Salami, and the commander of the Iranian Air Force, Brigadier Amir Ali Haji Zada, revealed a "Raad 500" missile and a new generation of rocket-propelled grenades.

Iranian media described the missile as a "new generation" of the Fatah 110 missiles.

Haji Zadeh was quoted as saying, "In comparison to the Fateh missiles, the Raad missiles weigh and cost half and have a range of more than 200 km," from Fateh 110.

Fars News Agency reported that the new missile operates with the vehicle "Zuhair and Salman" engines, adding that this "a new generation of missile propulsion devices and satellites equipped with mobile nozzles, which makes the use of solid fuel engines outside the atmosphere possible."

The United States and European and Arab countries are seeking to limit Iran's missile program, which it sees as a threat to security and stability in the region.

US President Donald Trump withdrew from the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and Western powers in 2015, and demands a renegotiation of a new deal, which Iran insists on rejecting.

Washington says Iran's missile program should be an essential part of any future negotiations with Tehran.

Iran is preparing for a new attempt to launch a satellite.

Iranian officials say the main mission of the moon, dubbed "Zafar", is to collect images and data. They point out that their countries need them to study earthquakes, deal with natural disasters and develop agriculture.

The head of the Iranian Space Agency, Morteza Barari, said that the moon is designed to operate for more than 18 months.

The moon will be launched from the Imam Khomeini space base in the Iranian Semnan province.

Washington says the Iranian space program is a cover for developing long-range Iranian missiles, and describes the program as a "lure."

Washington raises fears that the missiles used to launch satellites can be adapted to carry nuclear warheads.

But Iran insists it is not seeking nuclear weapons.