Iran is for the first time acknowledging that a rocket explosion took place at its Imam Khomeini Space Center, with an official saying a technical malfunction caused the blast.
Government spokesman Ali Rabiei made the statement Monday in comments broadcast by Iranian state television, but also criticised US President Donald Trump for "gleefully" tweeting about it.
"We don't know why the US president would... post a satellite photo, kind of treating the subject gleefully," said Rabiei.
"Fortunately, our knowledge in this field is increasing by the day," he said referring to Iran's space programme.
President Donald Trump on Friday controversially tweeted a surveillance photo likely taken of the site by an American spy satellite.
He wrote that the U.S. had nothing to do with what he called a "catastrophic incident".
Rabiei said the explosion caused no fatalities and also that officials had found no sign that sabotage was involved in the explosion.
Satellite photos showed a rocket on a launch pad at the space center had exploded Thursday. The space center is located about 240 kilometers, or 150 miles, southeast of the capital, Tehran.
"The explosion was in the launch pad and a satellite had not yet been transferred there," Rabiei told state television.
"Fortunately, nobody was killed in this incident. It was a technical issue... and it's now clear how this happened."
Rabiei criticised Iran's foes for trying to "convey that they are capable of infiltrating our organisations for espionage and sabotage".
Agencies
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