Iranian President: Iran is committed to NPT

Iranian President: Iran is committed to NPT.(Taz).

HT: Carl in Jerusalem: Steinitz: ~"I predict that we will see an Iranian attack of niceties in the coming weeks. Rohani is going to laugh all the way to the bomb." (@Ben_Birnbaum)

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said that Iran is committed to the international rules and agreements including the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iranian State IRINN TV reported.

Rouhani made the remarks during his meeting with Special Envoy of Japanese Prime Minister Masahiko Komura.

He went on to note that, Iran's nuclear issue should be resolved within the framework of international regulations, adding that the country's all nuclear activities are under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision.

Rouhani also underlined Tehran's determination to further develop bilateral ties with friendly countries, including Japan.

"The new government of Iran is determined to enhance relations with all friendly countries," he added.

Komura submitted a message from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Rouhani, and said, "The Japanese government is interested in the expansion of the old-age relations between Tokyo and Tehran".
President Rouhani expressed his gratitude for the Japanese prime minister's message, and said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the Japanese government's will and decision for the further development of the bilateral relations".

Flashback: Sept 02 - 2012: MFS The Other News: Iran looks pushing to nuke threshold.........embracing Tokyo's nuclear model?

Iran to Send Second Living Creature into Space in October.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 'wants to be first Iranian in space' 

Iran to Send Second Living Creature into Space in October.(Fars).

"In a new initiative, Iran's Aviation Agency will send another living creature to the space by mid-October through a liquid-fuel explorer which has less acceleration and is equipped with control and monitor system. It leads to a return of the living creature with high precession," Fazeli said.

Fazeli also expressed the hope that the living creature would be received again in the earth safe and sound.

Fazeli highlighted that Iran successfully sent the first living animal into space by a solid-fuel capsule in the last Iranian calendar year (ended March 20, 2013).

Sending liquid-fuel capsule into space has many advantages including the high precision and better navigational and controlling systems, he added.

Late in January, the Iranian Defense Ministry's Aerospace Industries Organization announced that it has sent a monkey into the space on the back of Pishgam (Pioneer) explorer rocket, and that it has brought back and recovered the living cargo.

The Aerospace Industries Organization said it had sent the living creature into space aboard an indigenous biocapsule as a prelude to sending humans into space.

The Aerospace Industries Organization said the capsule was sent to an orbit beyond 120km in altitude and carried out telemetry of the environmental data records.

The explorer rocket was launched by the Aerospace Industries Organization and it returned to the Earth after reaching the desired speed and altitude, and the living creature (monkey) was retrieved and found alive.

In mid-March 2011, ISA announced the launch of the Kavoshgar-4 rocket carrying a test capsule designed to house the monkey.

The capsule had been unveiled in February 2011 by former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, along with four new prototypes of home-built satellites.

At the time, Fazeli called the launch of a large animal into space as the first step towards sending a man into space, which Tehran says is scheduled for 2020.

Iran had sent small animals into space - a rat, turtles and worms - aboard a capsule carried by its Kavoshgar-3 rocket in 2010.

The Islamic republic, which first put a satellite into orbit in 2009, has outlined an ambitious space program and has, thus far, made giant progress in the field despite western sanctions and pressures against its advancement.

Iran has taken wide strides in aerospace. The country sent the first biocapsule of living creatures into space in February 2011, using its home-made Kavoshgar-3 (Explorer-3) carrier.

Former president Ahmadinejad announced in 2010 that Iran plans to send astronauts into space in 2024. But, later he said that the issue had gone under a second study at a cabinet meeting and that the cabinet had decided to implement the plan in 2019, five years earlier than the date envisaged in the original plan.

Omid (hope) was Iran's first research satellite that was designed for gathering information and testing equipment. After orbiting for three months, Omid successfully completed its mission without any problem. It completed more than 700 orbits over seven weeks and reentered the Earth's atmosphere on April 25, 2009.

After launching Omid, Tehran unveiled three new satellites called Tolou, Mesbah II and Navid, respectively. Iran has also unveiled its latest achievements in designing and producing satellite carriers.

A new generation of home-made satellites and a new satellite carrier called Simorgh (Phoenix) were among the latest achievements unveiled by Iran's aerospace industries.

The milk-bottle shaped rocket is equipped to carry a 60-kilogram (132-pound) satellite 500 kilometers (310 miles) into orbit.

The 27-meter (90 foot) tall multi-stage rocket weighs 85 tons and its liquid fuel propulsion system has a thrust of up to 143 tons.

Iran is one of the 24 founding members of the United Nations' Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS), which was set up in 1959.

North Korea Extends Rocket Launch Window.

North Korea Extends Rocket Launch Window.(RN).TOKYO – North Korea has extended the launch window for its latest rocket test to December 29, according to a report in North Korean state media. The report cited an official from the country’s space committee saying the extension is due to a “technical malfunction in the engine control unit.”
The original launch window was December 10 to December 22. The Korean Central News Agency reported on Saturday that the authorities may delay the launch “for a number of reasons.” Pyongyang alarmed the international community when it announced earlier this month that it would attempt another rocket launch. An attempted launch ended in failure last April, when the rocket exploded shortly after take-off. While North Korea has claimed this new rocket will attempt to send a satellite into outer space, the international community has widely condemned what it believes to be the development and testing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) intended to carry nuclear warheads. Japan has already deployed missile shield systems to its southern borders and in the Tokyo metropolitan area to intercept potential debris from the rocket.Read the full story here.

North Korea replacing rocket stage, likely to launch as planned: report.

North Korea replacing rocket stage, likely to launch as planned: report.(Yahoo).SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea is moving a new rocket component to its missile test site to replace a faulty stage that has delayed its planned launch of a long range rocket and is likely to still go ahead with a launch in December, a South Korean newspaper reported on Monday. North Korea's state media announced at the weekend that the launch of the rocket carrying what it called a scientific satellite may have to be delayed without disclosing the reasons. A trailer carrying a new third stage rocket was seen by satellite on Saturday being moved from a missile plant in Pyongyang to the Tongchang-ri missile launch site, South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted a government source as saying.
"From the reading of satellite images, it's definite the North delayed the missile launch because of problems with the third stage rocket," the source was quoted as saying. "The possibility the North will go ahead with the launch before December 22 as announced is high." Officials at South Korea's spy agency and military declined to confirm the report, citing their policy of not commenting on intelligence related matters. It is impossible to verify events inside the secretive North which is one of the world's most closed states that tightly controls news and information about its military and its leadership. The North is believed to be developing an intercontinental missile with a range of more than 6,700 km which would have the capacity to hit the continental United States, a move that would dramatically increase its diplomatic clout. The planned launch has been condemned by South Korea, Japan and the United States, all of which call it a disguised test of a long-range missile being developed to carry nuclear arsenal. An earlier launch in April failed minutes after blast off which the North admitted in a rare admission of a embarrassing failure.Hmmmm.....No word about the Iranian cooperation?Read the full story here.

Japan ‘Closely Watching’ N.Korea Over Missiles.

Japan ‘Closely Watching’ N.Korea Over Missiles.(RN).The Japanese government will continue gathering information about a possible missile launch by North Korea and is ready to defend itself, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said on Monday. On Friday, Japanese media reports said US satellite images showed North Korea had delivered what are believed to be long-range ballistic missile parts to a launch site. The movement involves equipment similar to that used in April when North Korea tested a long-range ballistic missile that exploded shortly after lift-off. Pyongyang said prior to that test the missile was putting a satellite in orbit. No such announcement has been made regarding the current activity. “The government will work harder to gather and analyze information, and will continue to take thorough measures to protect the country,” NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation quoted Fujimura as saying. Fujimura said the North Korean move will not have an impact on talks between the two countries. He said they will hold the next round of talks after making preparations through diplomatic channels.Read the full story here.

North Korea Names Kim Jong-un as Party Head.

North Korea Names Kim Jong-un as Party Head.(RN).North Korea named on Wednesday Kim Jong-un as first secretary of the Workers' Party, a newly-created position that would seem to give him the authority to rule the isolated East Asian country. Kim Jong-Un’s father, Kim Jong-il who died on December 17, 2011, was named "eternal" general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party at the national conference in Pyongyang, KCNA also said. The appointment of Kim Jong-un comes as North Korea prepares for the nationwide celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the country's founder, Kim Il-sung. North Korea has said it is preparing to launch a rocket to put a weather satellite into orbit to mark the anniversary. It also says the launch is in compliance with the Space Treaty, which guarantees every state the right to carry out space programs. But the international community suspects the rocket is part of a ballistic missile program. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that any launch by North Korea would be a “serious, clear violation” of the UN Security Council resolutions. South Korea and Japan have said they will shoot down the rocket if it threatens their territory.Read the full story here.

Tokyo is ready for everything.