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Friday, September 26, 2025
Iran likely carried out undeclared missile test, satellite photos analyzed by AP show
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has likely carried out an undeclared missile test at its Imam Khomeini Spaceport, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show.
Iran has not formally acknowledged last week’s test at a circular pad that has hosted other major launches by the country’s civilian space program.
A single lawmaker in Iran’s parliament, however, claimed, without offering evidence, that Tehran tested a possible intercontinental ballistic missile.
On September 18, Iranian social media users posted images of the sky over Semnan province, showing what appeared to be a rocket’s contrail at sunset.
Iranian officials did not acknowledge what caused the contrail, nor did Iranian state media report on the incident.
Launch pad shows scorch marks, at scale of solid-fuel missile
Satellite photos taken prior to that by Planet Labs PBC showed the circular pad at Imam Khomeini Spaceport — about 230 kilometers (145 miles) southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, in Semnan — painted blue ringed with red, white and green lines — the colors of the Iranian flag.
But in satellite images since September 18, the pad appeared discolored, though it wasn’t fully clear until a more-detailed Planet image requested by the AP taken this Wednesday.
That image shows significant scorch marks, the pattern of which resemble scorching seen at the pad following past launches. When rockets launch, the flames from their engines pour down onto pads.
Fabian Hinz, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, who studies missiles, says the scale of the scorching suggested Iran launched a solid-fuel missile, as burning aluminum oxide particles cause such marks.
The north-south marks suggest a blast deflector being used as well to channel the flames, he says.
The Times of Israel Community.