Sent worms,turtles,rat into space: Iran

In what seemed designed as a display of advancing missile technology,Iran said on Wednesday that it had test-fired a rocket into space carrying living organisms....

In what seemed designed as a display of advancing missile technology,Iran said on Wednesday that it had test-fired a rocket into space carrying living organismsa rat,two turtles and worms,according to the official Press TV broadcaster.

The launch of what was described as a Kavoshgar-3 missile,capable of carrying satellites,came at a juncture of other events showing the Tehran regime facing a series of challenges.

Iran is preparing to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of 1979; it is locked in dispute with the US and other powers over its nuclear programme; and its leaders are facing a political crisis since last Junes flawed presidential elections.

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The latest launch came days after officials in Washington said the Obama administration is accelerating the deployment of new defences against possible Iranian missile attacks in the Persian Gulf.

Press TV said on Wednesday that the Kavoshgar,or Explorer,missile was the third of its type to be launched space since February 2008,and was carrying an experimental capsule to transfer telemetric data,live pictures and other information to Earth.

The Iranian Aerospace Organisation said: Live video transmission and the mini-environmental lab will enable further studies on the biological capsulecarrying a rat,two turtles and wormsas it leaves Earths atmosphere and enters space, Press TV said.

IRNA news agency quoted Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi as saying the space programme was for peaceful purposes and Iran would not tolerate any unpeaceful use of space by any country. State television showed officials putting living organisms inside a capsule placed in the rocket,news reports said.