Barak: World should toughen sanctions on Iran in light of satellite launch

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday that Tuesday's launch of an Iranian satellite was further indication the international community should tighten sanctions on the Islamic republic.

He said that the launch is an "Iranian technological feat and a proof of [the country's] intelligence and military capabilities."

On Tuesday, Barak said that diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program must be accompanied by a clear deadline, after which harsh sanctions could be imposed.

Barak told an international conference in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, that all options regarding Iran were on the table. "Beyond that I will say nothing," he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran said the launch of the Omid (Hope) research and telecom satellite was a major step in its space technology timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the U.S.-backed shah.

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

Israel regards Iran as its biggest threat, given Tehran's nuclear program and repeated statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other Iranian leaders that the state should be erased off the map.

Israeli officials also see Iran as being the prime sponsor of Islamic fundamentalist organizations dedicated to destroying Israel, such as the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and Palestinian groups such as the Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

After Iran's launch, western powers voiced concern that the satellite could be used to launch warheads.

"It is certainly a reason for us to be concerned about Iran and its continued attempts to develop a ballistic missile program of increasingly long range," U.S. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.

British Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell said it "underlines and illustrates our serious concerns about Iran's intentions," adding it sent the "wrong signal to the international community."

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier said his nation is "worried that there is ... the development of capacities that can be used in the ballistic framework."