Iran to launch satellite this week that U.S. links to ballistic missiles

Iran will launch a satellite by the end of this week, a government minister said on Monday, as part of a fledgling program that the United States says is a cover for ballistic missile development.

"We are not afraid of failure and we will not lose hope. With your prayers and trust in God, the Zafar satellite by the end of this week ... will be heading toward an orbit of 530 km from Earth," Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted.