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IRAN: Pride swells as Persia enters the Space Age

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Many Western governments viewed the announcement this week that Iran had successfully launched a domestically made satellite into orbit as a menacing display of the Islamic Republic’s growing rocket power.

But on snow-covered streets of Tehran, ordinary Iranians hailed the launch as a source of pride for the nation.

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‘Who could think that one day we would have our own homemade satellite?’ said Ahmad Montazeri, the 48-year-old owner of a produce shop, warming his hands above the flames of a small fire along the sidewalk. ‘It is very important and we think we are entering a new phase in our development.’

Western officials and analysts interpreted the launch as testament to Iran’s growing mastery of missile technology, meant to show off the fact that the country can reach targets 1,500 miles away.

But with presidential elections less than four months away, the launching also made Iranians feel proud of their country and their government during commemorations marking the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, despite rising economic hardship under incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

‘They say Iran is one of the 10 countries in the world to launch its own satellite,’ said Mostafa Ahmadi, 54, a businessman. ‘If that’s so, it is very important and we should be proud of our government.”

It was a source of pride even among the young, westward-looking students who were once viewed as a great threat to the stability of the Islamic Republic.

“I am very proud of it,’ said Mehdi Yousefi, 26, a student of hotel and restaurant management working shifts at Tehran’s fancy Homa Hotel. ‘It is a real achievement for Iran.’

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He heaped praise on Ahmadinejad, grateful not only for the satellite launch but also for a government-backed student loan that finances his studies.

Still, not everyone was delighted. Among 12 million Tehran residents, many project a jaded ‘so-what-else-is-new’ attitude that would be familiar to anyone who’s spent a lot of time in New York City.

Taxi driver Shaaban Shaabani, wiping the vapor accumulating on his windshield, said he watched the rocket launch on television and shrugged.

‘It does not make any difference to me,’ he said, noting that he can barely make enough to pay his rent. ‘We are leading a hard life, and we do not care.”

Butcher Ali Mohammadi, 43, said he wished the government cared as much about purchasing power as rocket power. ‘Why do people buy only a little meat every day? Why they do not entertain their friends at home with lunch or dinner? Why do I have to commute between Tehran and Karaj every day because I cannot afford a decent house in Tehran for my family with three sons?’

Still he said he hopes against hope the new satellite -- which happens to be called ‘Omid’ (‘Hope,’ in Farsi) -- will improve Iran’s spotty cellphone service.

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‘I personally doubt it,’ he added.

-- Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran and Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

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