Iran said it had launched a domestically made satellite into orbit for the first time yesterday, a move likely to worry Israel and Western powers further about Teheran's nuclear ambitions.

The launch of the Omid (Hope) research and telecom satellite was hailed by Iran as a major step in its space technology timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the US-backed shah.

The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit can also be used for launching warheads, although Iran says it has no plans to do so.