Iran,Omid satellite

The launch of the Omid satellite, meaning Hope, was timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution and United Nations talks aimed at stopping Iran's nuclear programme.

"Dear Iranians, your children have put the first indigenous satellite into orbit," said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a broadcast on state television.

"With this launch the Islamic Republic of Iran has officially achieved a presence in space."

The launch has highlighted international concerns that Iran will use domestically developed space technology to develop intercontinental nuclear missiles.

Tehran is at odds with the international community and the UN over a controversial nuclear programme which Iran has insisted is only for peaceful energy purposes.

The United States and European Union suspect that Iran is secretly developing atomic weapons and harbours ambitions to use its home grown Safir space rocket technology to build long-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Omid's take off comes just a one day before senior diplomats from the UN Security Council meet in Germany to discuss Iran's refusal to stop uranium enrichment as part of its nuclear programme.

Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, used the occasion of the satellite launch to criticise Western and UN anti-atomic weapons proliferation embargoes on nuclear and space technology.

"The difference between our country and some countries which have these capacities is that we believe science belongs to all humanity," he said.

"Some people believe that advanced technologies belong to some countries exclusively."

Mr Mottaki added: "In Iran's history, in the last 100 years, you cannot point to aggression by Iran against any nation. Iran's people are peace-loving they want peace with all countries around the world."