Iran Slams ‘Sinister’ Paris Attack Plot against it

Iranian President Rouhani (R) and Foreign Minister Zarif attend a meeting in Hyderabad, India, February 15, 2018. (Reuters)
Iranian President Rouhani (R) and Foreign Minister Zarif attend a meeting in Hyderabad, India, February 15, 2018. (Reuters)
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Iran Slams ‘Sinister’ Paris Attack Plot against it

Iranian President Rouhani (R) and Foreign Minister Zarif attend a meeting in Hyderabad, India, February 15, 2018. (Reuters)
Iranian President Rouhani (R) and Foreign Minister Zarif attend a meeting in Hyderabad, India, February 15, 2018. (Reuters)

Iran stated on Monday that it was prepared to cooperate with the concerned authorities to unravel the “sinister” plot against it in wake of Belgium’s announcement that it had arrested six people, including an Iranian diplomat, on suspicion of plotting an attack against an Iranian opposition meeting in Paris.

"Iran unequivocally condemns all violence & terror anywhere, and is ready to work with all concerned to uncover what is a sinister false flag ploy,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.

The Belgian announcement coincided with the arrival of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Switzerland on Monday to hold talks with European officials on cooperation with Tehran in wake of the US withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

"How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its 'plotters' arrested,” added Zarif.

The plotters were planning on targeting a meeting of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) - an umbrella bloc of opposition groups in exile that seek an end to clerical rule in Iran.

The NCRI meeting, which attracted a crowd of thousands, took place on Saturday in Villepinte, just outside Paris, a three-hour drive from Brussels.

US President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani and several former European and Arab ministers attended the meeting.



Iran Media: Russian Rocket Puts Iran Satellite into Space

A Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage, carrying two Ionosfera-M satellites and 18 payloads, including Iran's Nahid-2 telecommunications satellite, blasts off from its launchpad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far-eastern Amur region, Russia July 25, 2025. Roscosmos/Ivan Timoshenko/Handout via REUTERS
A Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage, carrying two Ionosfera-M satellites and 18 payloads, including Iran's Nahid-2 telecommunications satellite, blasts off from its launchpad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far-eastern Amur region, Russia July 25, 2025. Roscosmos/Ivan Timoshenko/Handout via REUTERS
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Iran Media: Russian Rocket Puts Iran Satellite into Space

A Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage, carrying two Ionosfera-M satellites and 18 payloads, including Iran's Nahid-2 telecommunications satellite, blasts off from its launchpad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far-eastern Amur region, Russia July 25, 2025. Roscosmos/Ivan Timoshenko/Handout via REUTERS
A Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage, carrying two Ionosfera-M satellites and 18 payloads, including Iran's Nahid-2 telecommunications satellite, blasts off from its launchpad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far-eastern Amur region, Russia July 25, 2025. Roscosmos/Ivan Timoshenko/Handout via REUTERS

A Russian rocket put an Iranian communications satellite into space on Friday, Iranian state media reported, the latest achievement for an aerospace program that has long concerned Western governments.

"The Nahid-2 communications satellite was launched from Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome using a Soyuz rocket," state television said.

Weighing 110 kilograms (over 240 pounds), the satellite was designed and manufactured by Iranian engineers, the broadcaster added.

Western governments have long expressed concern that technological advances made in Iran's space program can also be used to upgrade its ballistic missile arsenal, AFP reported.

The launch was announced shortly before nuclear talks between Iran and Britain, France and Germany opened in Istanbul.

In December, Iran announced it had put its heaviest payload to date into space, using a domestically manufactured satellite carrier.

In September, Iran said it had put the Chamran-1 research satellite into orbit using the Ghaem-100 carrier, which is produced by the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace division.