According to FOXNews, Iran's president has announced his country will put men into space by 2019. If that happens, Iran will likely become only the fourth nation to accomplish that feat. It would also be the first Muslim nation to do so.
The European Space Agency, Japan, and possibly India might be able to beat that date, but none has firmly stated that intention.
Putting humans into space has always been a proclamation the nation doing it is among the elite in the world. Gaining that stature would no doubt be a major part of the incentive for Iran to undertake such a program, but the West would be skeptical. Any nation capable of putting men into space would also be able to launch missiles against other nations. Iran is also developing nuclear technology, it says for peaceful purposes. Combine nuclear warheads with advanced rocket technology, however, and a threatening potential exists. Put that potential in the volatile Middle East, and the nerves of the world would reasonably be on edge. Should Iran actually pursue a manned space program, how it does so will be interesting and important.
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