Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launch ‘1st military satellite’ into orbit: State media

Iran on Wednesday said it launched a military satellite into orbit amid wider tensions with the US. This, it said, was a successful launch after months of failures.

There was no immediate independent confirmation of the launch of the satellite, which Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard called "Noor", or light.

The Guard on its official said the satellite successfully reached an orbit of 425 kilometers (264 miles) above the Earth's surface. The two-stage satellite launch took off from Iran's Central Desert.

The launch comes amid tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal. A US drone strike had also, in January, killed Guard General Qassem Soleimani.