Iran Press/America: Iranian scientists have successfully launched the indigenous satellite carrier of Simorq-3 into space carrying three research devices for civilian purposes.
"We will speed up work so that we can become one of the six countries that can launch satellites into the GEO (geostationary) orbit," Iranian Defense Ministry Spokesman Ahmad Hosseini was quoted as saying.
"The US is concerned about Iran's development of space launch vehicles, as there is a serious risk Tehran is building up its ballistic missile program and one could someday be used to carry a nuclear warhead," a US State Department spokesperson said.
"The United States continues to use all its nonproliferation tools to prevent the further advancement of Iran's missile programs and urges other countries to take steps to address Iran's missile development activity," the spokesperson said.
This is while before and during the Cold War, the US conducted over one thousand nuclear tests and tested many long-range nuclear weapons delivery systems.
Between 1940 and 1996, the US government spent at least US$9.61 trillion in present-day terms on nuclear weapons, including platforms development (aircraft, rockets, and facilities), command and control, maintenance, waste management, and administrative costs. It is estimated that the United States produced more than 70,000 nuclear warheads since 1945, more than all other nuclear-weapon states combined.
As of 2020, the United States had a stockpile of 3,750 active and inactive nuclear warheads plus approximately 2,000 warheads retired and awaiting dismantlement. Of the stockpiled warheads, the US stated in its March 2019 New START declaration that 1,365 were deployed on 656 ICBMs, SLBMs, and strategic bombers.
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