The World From Berlin Iran's Space Provocation
Iran this week became the ninth nation to successfully launch its own satellite into orbit.
Iranian officials launched the small satellite, called "Omid," Farsi for "hope," on Monday, Feb. 2, during 30th anniversary celebrations of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which saw the ouster of the Shaw and the installation of the ruling mullah regime. The launch came just days after US President Barack Obama set a tone of conciliation with Islamic countries in an interview with an Arab news channel and officials within his administration hinted Washington would review its plan to build a missile defense system -- aimed at protecting Europe and the United States from nuclear weapons from "rogue states" like Iran.
"With God's help and the desire for justice and peace," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a televised message, implying the launch wasn't meant to provoke, "the official presence of the Islamic Republic was registered in space."
In Washington, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs wasn't so sure. "Efforts to develop missile delivery capability, efforts that continue on an illicit nuclear program, or threats that Iran makes toward Israel and its sponsorship of terror are of acute concern to this administration," he said.
Observers note that sending satellites into space requires the same long-range ballistic technology that is used for launching warheads. Still, an intercontinental warhead would require a much bigger, heavier device than the one used to launch the 27-kilogram (60 pound) "Hope" satellite. Experts agree that the act was mainly symbolic.
The message, according to one Iranian political analyst, is that Iran is "very powerful and you have to deal with us in the right way."
German commentators agree that the launch of "Hope" is unsettling. At the same time, they differ in their assessment of how much of a threat Iran actually poses -- and on the best way in which they should respond, especially considering Iranian presidential elections that are scheduled for June.
The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:
"Iran is still years away from possessing a nuclear warhead, as reiterated by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohammed ElBaradei just days ago. And even if they had an atomic bomb, the ayatollahs would have to be suicidal to use it in the face of the overwhelming strength of their opponents. They've never exhibited such tendencies. In any case, the Islamic Republic has strategically elevated its stature, lifting it above its Arab neighbors. Tehran wants to be a predominant regional power -- also in space."
The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:
"Sooner or later, those capable of shooting a satellite into space will also have the resources to fire missiles containing nuclear warheads. The fact that a missile would have to carry 20 times more weight than Iran's 'Hope' satellite, which supposedly weights 26 kilograms, is not grounds for reassurance."
The Financial Times of Germany writes:
"Taken out of context, these steps are no reason for concern. But if you put the puzzle pieces together and combine them with Iran's latent threats towards Israel, you have cause for alarm."
"Because this development comes just months before Iran's presidential elections, there is little more the West can do than observe the situation and try to remain calm. It remains unclear who will have the best shot at the presidency this summer or who will win the backing of the religious leadership, which could determine everything in the end. One thing is clear though: Almost any candidate would be better than Ahmadinejad, who cynically likes to set new puzzles."
