President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday that the Iranian government will continue on the path set by the late influential statesman Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who helped enhance the country’s status internationally.
“We will keep working toward Hashemi’s biggest goal, which was to see a proud establishment in the Islamic Republic and a prosperous Iran,” Rouhani said during a commemoration for the former president and chairman of Expediency Council in Tehran, the presidential website reported.
He added that ill-wishers spared no effort to tarnish Rafsanjani’s image and reputation, but he remained a popular figure among Iranians due to his honest and faithful services to the country.
Rafsanjani, who passed away in January 2017 at the age of 82, had been described as “a pillar of the Islamic Revolution”. His pragmatic policies—economic liberalization, better relations with the West and empowering elected bodies—appealed to many Iranians.
Rouhani said the prominent politician helped Iran make great progress and overcome various crises throughout his career with his prudent decisions on economic, political and security affairs.
The president referred to Rafsanjani as the “founder” of Iran’s nuclear technology program and hailed his significant contribution to the defense sector.
"The Islamic Republic’s technological advancements and defense power are the legacy of the late president. Missiles are our defensive tool and a source of pride for us,” he said.
Satellite Launch
“In the coming weeks, we will send two new satellites into space using our domestically made missiles,” Rouhani said, without elaborating.
Iran typically displays its space achievements in February during the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. This year will mark the 40th anniversary of the revolution, which saw the Persian monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi replaced by the Islamic Republic.
Iranian officials recently announced that three new satellites have successfully passed pre-launch tests.
Earlier in January, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran’s plans for sending satellites into orbit demonstrate the country’s defiance of a United Nations Security Council resolution that calls on Iran to refrain from work for up to eight years on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons.
Iran insists the launches do not violate any UN resolution and says its missiles are solely for defense and only capable of delivering conventional—not nuclear—warheads.
In response to Pompeo’s claim, Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif wrote in a Twitter post that “Iran’s launch of space vehicles—& missile tests—are NOT in violation of [Resolution] 2231. The US is in material breach of same, & as such it is in no position to lecture anyone on it.”
He was referring to the UN Security Council Resolution that underpins the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers, which US President Donald Trump abandoned in May.
Iran has sent several satellites into orbit over the past decade. It launched its first domestically built satellite, the Omid (Hope) research and telecoms satellite, in 2009 on the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
