Iran launches its first satellite

Iran said Tuesday it had successfully sent its first domestically produced satellite into orbit, joining an exclusive club of fewer than a dozen nations with such capabilities. "The launch itself was not such a significant accomplishment, but it's a reminder that the clock is ticking on Iran's nuclear program," said David Albright, president of the Ploughshares-funded Institute for Science and International Security.  Other analysts said Iran's entry into space would further complicate the Obama administration's diplomatic efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, and efforts to prevent deployment of the controversial missile-defense system.  But Charles Ferguson of the Council on Foreign Relations told the New York Times, "This is no reason to panic. It shouldn't force us to make a missile defense decision in Europe." He said Iran's action had more to do with sending a message to Washington and asserting influence as a regional power than on achieving a new military capability. "It's a way for the Iranian people to stand proud," Ferguson said, "but to do it in a way that is still within a civilian program."