Ahmadinejad to be the first Iranian Astronaut

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he is ready to take the risk of becoming the first human being sent into space by Iran, national media reports.

"I'm ready to be the first Iranian to sacrifice myself for our country's scientists," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying on the sidelines of an exhibition of space achievements in Tehran on Monday.

Iran said it sent a monkey into space, describing the launch as a successful step towards Tehran's plan to send an astronaut into space within the next five to six years. The monkey named "Pishgam", which means pioneer in Farsi, reportedly travelled 120km and safely returned to Earth.

The launch added to Western concerns about Iran's space programme because the same rocket technology could potentially be used to deliver a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile.

In 2010, Iran said it launched an Explorer rocket into space carrying a mouse, a turtle and worms.

Iran's space officials say Iran will launch a bigger rocket carrying a larger animal to obtain greater safety assurances before sending a man into space.

Space tourist Anousheh Ansari was the first Iranian to make a journey into space aboard a Soyuz TMA-9 capsule from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, in 2006. The 40-year-old telecommunications entrepreneur paid a reported $20m for a space station visit.

The Changing Arab World: Ahmadinejad to visit Egypt

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to visit Cairo, making him the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Ahmadinejad will head Iran's delegation to a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Cairo, Reuters reports.

Tehran broke off relations with Cairo in 1980 following Egypt's peace agreement with Israel during the time of Anwar Saddat. Ahmadinejad hopes the two states can reestablish full diplomatic ties. Last year the two countries mutually agreed to reopen official embassies following a visit to Iran by Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The Arab Spring has rekindled a kind of Arab solidarity long lost after the demise of Gamel Abdel Nasser of Egypt. Arab nations including Turkey are finding a common ground among each other to counter Israel's strength. Israel with the assistance of the US is wielding the divide-and-rule baton well.

Are Sanctions Crippling Iran or Making Iran

Iran has presented its first domestically designed defence fighter-bomber jet with limited stealth capabilities. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed that the plane was designed for defense purposes, and will not be used for aggression.

Code-named Qaher-313 ('Conqueror'), the jet is an advanced single-seat single-engine military plane. It is reportedly capable of engaging targets on the ground, as well as achieving air superiority in dogfights.

According to photos published by Fars news agency, the jet boasts impressive technical specifications, with a ‘stealth’ design similar to that of the US F-22 and Russian T-50.

The large wingspan and inclined outward tail fins resembles the F-35, as well as the unusual-looking wings and modern seamless canopy. The jet may have been constructed using composite materials.

Before now, Iran has made numerous giant strides in domestic computer and internet application advancement, agricultural development and complex military capabilities since sanctions were slammed on the country by the US and EU.

 

"Now the speed of Iran's development in science and technology does not depend on circumstances, it depends on our will," Ahmadinejad said on Saturday in remarks carried on state television. "We should set higher targets. We see that it is possible, we have the capabilities."

"This project carries the message of brotherhood, peace, and security and it doesn't pose any threat to anyone. There is no intention to interfere in any other country's affairs," he said.

Iran is commemorating the 34th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah in 10 days of events that began on Thursday.