"The successful launch of the Iranian Fajr satellite ...into orbit before the eyes of the friends and foes of the Islamic Iran ... on the back of the home-made Safir-e Fajr launcher gave a response to the foreign propaganda about stopping the trend of the Islamic Republic of Iran's development and progress through cruel and illegal sanctions, which was as powerful as the heroic Iranian nation's determination to continue standing against the bullying and pressures of the hegemonic system," Shamkhani said in a message to Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan on Tuesday.
He lauded the young Iranian scientists for designing and building the satellite, and congratulated General Dehqan and the nation on the great success.
In relevant remarks, General Dehqan underlined earlier today that the successful launch and orbiting of Iran's home-made 'Fajr (Dawn)' satellite displayed that sanctions and pressures had failed to block the country's progress.
"Today, we have a word to say in many technological fields everywhere in the world and we embrace increasing honor and glory each day," Dehqan said in Tehran.
He said enemies were attempting to show that sanctions have succeeded in bringing the Iranian nation to its knees and halting its progress, while they had failed. "The sanctions haven’t stopped Iran's scientific growth; the youth of the Islamic Iran have built the Fajr satellite and sent it into the Earth's orbit successfully while the country has been under sanctions."
Dehqan stressed that all stages of building the Fajr satellite, including its after-launch tracking, were being fulfilled by the young Iranian scientists.
The Fajr satellite was sent into the orbit on the back of the home-made Safir-e Fajr launcher on Monday.
After ordering its launching, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the country had ushered into a new era of aerospace technology by sending a new home-made satellite into orbit.
"The prominent Iranian scientists and thinkers have entered a new stage in area of space sciences," Rouhani said after Iran launched its home-made Fajr satellite into orbit.
"The government is determined to continue the path of national progress and God willing, we will reach a stage in the coming when all the country's needs in the space field will be met by the hands of the powerful Iranian scientists and based on indigenized technology," he added.
In relevant remarks yesterday, Dehqan congratulated the Iranian government and nation on the successful launch and orbiting of the satellite.
The fully home-grown satellite which has been built by experts at the defense ministry's Aerospace Industries Organization proves the Islamic Republic of Iran's high capabilities to launch satellites into orbit, General Dehqan said.
"It is also another indicator of the country's flourishing scientific growth in the state-of-the-art technologies," he added.
