Iran launches satellite-carrying rocket as anti-government protests rage

Video footage aired by Iranian state television shows the launch of a rocket by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard from an undisclosed desert location (Iranian state television via AP)

Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a new satellite-carrying rocket on Saturday, state TV reported, seeking to demonstrate the force’s space prowess even as anti-government protests rage across the country.

State TV said the Guard successfully launched the solid-fuelled rocket — what it called a Ghaem-100 satellite carrier.