Iran has successfully launched three satellites for the first time using its carrier rocket developed by the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. The West fears this milestone will boost Tehran’s ballistic program. The launch comes amid heightened tensions in the wider Middle East over Israel’s continued war on the Gaza Strip, sparking fears of a regional conflict. The US intelligence community’s 2023 worldwide threat assessment said the development of satellite launch vehicles makes Iran one step closer to developing long-range ballistic missiles.