Iran's defense minister has hailed the launch of the Safir 1 satellite carrier as a triumph in domestic scientific and technological progress.

"Iranian scientists are always reaching new peaks in scientific and technological progress," Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said.

"The successful launch of Safir 1 shows that Iran has access to the ultra-modern technology required to manufacture, launch and track satellites as well as transmit and receive information from them."

Safir 1 is Iran's first domestically-produced satellite carrier, capable of putting lightweight satellites into low earth orbit.

The Head of the Iranian Aerospace Organization Reza Taqipour told Press TV that the Safir launch will pave the way for Iran to send its domestically-built telecommunications satellite, Omid ('hope'), into orbit "in the near future".

"The main aim of the launch of Safir 1 was to reach a pre-planned orbit and to improve the country's space industries," Taqipour said.

Taqipour said Iran has plans to put a "series of satellites" into space by 2010 to aid natural disaster management programs and improve telecommunications.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was present at Iran's space center and read out the launch countdown, congratulated the Iranian nation on a great achievement despite economic pressure from the West.

"Sanctions have not isolated us. Instead, we have become more independent," Ahmadinejad said after the launch.

Iran's satellite carrier launch has prompted the US and Israel to step up accusations that Iran is developing long-range ballistic missile technology which can be used to launch nuclear weapons.

White House Spokesman Gordon D. Johndroe said Sunday that Iran's rocket announcement was "troubling and raises further questions about their intentions" about the country's nuclear program.

Extensive inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, have revealed no conclusive evidence of weaponization in Iran's nuclear program. Iran is entitled to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which the country signed in 1970.

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