(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The remote-sensing observation satellite is designed to collect data on weather conditions, which come in handy for weather forecasts and management of natural disasters.
Iran's latest scientific achievement comes despite decades of Western imposed sanctions and ongoing threats against the country.
We have conducted an interview with Mohsen Saleh, professor at Lebanese University, to share his opinion on this issue.
The following is a transcript of the interview:
Q: Professor Saleh, news of Iran launching another satellite into space and just before that we were hearing the comments which have been made by the leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution and in those comments of course he again referred to the issue of sanctions and how those sanctions have been helping Iran he said to make these kinds of scientific achievements.
First of all what do you make of those comments and also the comments that the leader was making about the enemies of Iran including he says the US and specially the Zionist regime or the regime in Tel Aviv?
Saleh: First of all good afternoon for you and for the Iran's [Islamic] Republic and I should congratulate the leadership and the people of Iran for these achievements, continuing achievements from 1979 till now. We should be proud in the Arab world and the Islamic world of these achievements and by the Iranians help, these people were able to achieve many things on the, of course the economic and the political levels and in terms of the awakening.
The spirit of the revolution now is spreading and penetrating the minds and the souls of the Arabs and the Muslims all over the world and these changes in the Arab world probably one of the fruits of this revolution. And ever since this revolution will expose to all kinds of hindrances and obstacles put in front of this revolution.
And now we will see the achievements of the revolution in terms of the sky achievements, in terms of the ground achievements, in terms of economic achievements and political achievements and above all, the stability in this region and the defeat of the American powers in Iraq and in Lebanon and in Palestine, one of these remarks and signs of the Iranian very strong existence in the region and in the spirit and the souls of the people.
What the leader mentioned in his speech and what Iran declared about this new achievement in terms of manufacturing and firming about the sky achievements, this will indicate to what extent that this revolution was able to overcome all the obstacles and the hindrances and this, the leader said it that this Arab revolutions can really overcome all the American and the Western hindrances in order to achieve their real independence.
And now we see Iran in its brightest picture in the whole world that all the leaders, all the factions, all the levels in Iran they meet altogether in order to make Iran a very powerful country in the arena of the political life in the whole world.
And now Iran is not Iran in 1980's when the Americans could say to Saddam that you launch a war against Iran. Now the Arabs or some Arabs who belong to America cannot do that and they are very weak to that even America and Israel is weaker than doing that.
Q: Mr. Saleh, just briefly before we leave you, of course just referring again to Israel, Ayatollah Khamenei in his sermon that he said that Iran is ready and will be ready from now on and in anytime that it feels it has to fight against the Zionist regime and to fight against the regime in Tel Aviv, some very strong comments there on the issue of Israel and of course coming at a time when we are hearing a lot in the media about possible war on Iran, about threats being made by the United States and by Israel.
So what is the message that is coming now from Iran, do you think when we are speaking about these threats?
Saleh: Well the Iranian leadership and the Iranian people in this occasion, I guess they are telling a great message or big message to the whole world that they should listen that Iran is a very proud country of its leadership, of its culture, of its religion and its way of life.
And now anybody would dare to attack Iran, very great response and very hard response and solid will find and Iran now as I mentioned is very powerful country in terms of all things. And now the resistance in the region may really represent this viewpoint to address a new way in the region also, in the political way in Iraq, in Syria and Lebanon, in Palestine.
Now we have great or big access in this region, Iran its leader and now we are moving towards a kind of forming a new way of political mentality in the whole world and that is why I guess the IAEA returned, regained the dialog with Iran in order to facilitate the way.
They could not succeed in their wars against Iran. That is why they returned to the negotiation, to the table and they will continue in that because they are weaker than doing any kind of attacks against Iran or against the resistance.
So they have to try to maneuver the situation through some weak persons like in Saudi Arabia or in Turkey or even in Qatar or semi states or pseudo states.
Q: Mr. Saleh since we still have a little bit more time I just like to ask you the final question and that is when we are speaking about sanctions and the achievements there Iran is making, three decades of sanctions that was pointed out there by Ayatollah Khamenei, the fact that Iran is now sending another satellite into space. Of course we know that this is not something that a lot of countries are capable of doing but Iran has been doing that now despite the sanctions. What message is this giving to the international community?
Saleh: This is really probably the most greatest message to the whole world specially to the Americans, to the enemies, let's to say, the Americans and the Israelis specially that whatever you do in order to try to hinder Iran from continuing its war by itself, scientific war specially, intellectual war, economic war, whatever you do to hinder us from doing anything we are able to depend on ourselves in order to achieve what you cannot imagine that Iran would achieve.
And you cannot expect what might achieve in the future in terms of the uranium enrichment, in terms of the satellite, in terms of war arms and machines to defend ourselves.
Iran would have never attack anybody or hostile to anybody. Iran is defending itself and defending the rights of the region to have independence and self-sufficient from these great powers, imperialistic powers who tried really to put its hand on the wealth and on the resources of the region and now it's the turn of Iran to tell these people in the West and in the United States your time is finished. You should go out from this region. This region belongs to its people and we cannot permit for America or for the West to invade this region again.
And the battle in Syria and in Palestine, one of the great examples of these battles and of course what has been done in Iran about manufacturing and firms on all levels, I guess this will encourage the people in the region to do the same.
/106