the image” and expressed his apologies to “the
people and space scientists” of Iran.
The photo, posted on Jahromi’s Twitter account
and depicting what looks like costume of a
spacesuit with an Iranian flag sowed on the
front, caused a stir on social media, with many
Iranians turning to sarcasm and commenting
about the fake spacesuit. After his apology,
Jahromi removed the photo from his account.
The timing of the minister’s faux pas was also
unfortunate. An Iranian rocket failed to put a
satellite into orbit on Sunday, the latest setback
for a program the U.S. claims helps Tehran
advance its ballistic missile program.
The attempted launch followed two failed
launches last year, of the Payam and Doosti
satellites, as well as a launchpad rocket
explosion in August. Also, a fire at the Imam
Khomeini Space Center in February 2019 killed
three researchers, authorities said at the time.
Jahromi acknowledged the unsuccessful launch
in a tweet shortly after the news broke on state
TV, comparing it to a “few samples of US launch
failures” and insisting that Iran’s space program
was unstoppable.
The failed launch had been planned amid
celebrations ahead of this week’s anniversary
of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran routinely
unveils technological achievements for its
armed forces, its space program and its nuclear
efforts during this time.
It also came against the backdrop of heightened
tensions between Iran and the U.S. since
President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew
America from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with
world powers in May 2018.