Iran's top commander lauds launch of Noor 1 satellite as "shift in balance of power"

An Iranian army general said on Sunday that the recent launch of Noor satellite by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is a prelude to the "shift in the balance of power" in favor of Iran, Tasnim news agency reported.

The launch of homegrown Noor 1 satellite amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic shows the Iranian army is playing a role in the battle with COVID-19, said Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Hossein Baqeri.

"The great and historical achievement (by launching the satellite) marked a big intelligence defeat and scandal" for the enemies of Iran, particularly for the United States, he noted.

On Sunday, the IRGC announced its plan to launch satellites into a geosynchronous equatorial orbit 36,000 km above the Earth.

On April 22, the IRGC announced the launch of Iran's first military satellite Noor 1 into space by the satellite carrier Qased from the central desert region of the country, saying the satellite "successfully" reached the 425 km orbit above the Earth.