Iran says Russia launched three new satellites, deepening Moscow-Tehran space ties
NEW YORK, December 28, 2025, 21:50 ET Iran said on Sunday three of its satellites were launched into low Earth orbit from Russia, extending space cooperation between Tehran and Moscow. Reuters+1 Iranian state media said a Russian Soyuz rocket carried the Paya, Zafar-2 and Kowsar satellites from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s far east. Bloomberg.com+1 The launch matters because Iran has increasingly relied on Russia to place satellites in orbit while both countries remain under U.S. sanctions and have drawn closer since Russia’s war in Ukraine. Reuters It also comes as Western governments continue to argue that satellite launch technology