Iran launches 3 satellites into space that are part of a Western-criticized program as tensions rise

BY JON GAMBRELL

JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran said Sunday it successfully launched three satellites into space with a rocket that had multiple failures in the past, the latest for a program that the West says improves Tehran’s ballistic missiles.

The launch comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel’s continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, sparking fears of a regional conflict.

While Iran has not intervened militarily in the conflict, it has faced increased pressure within its theocracy for action after a deadly Islamic State suicide bombing earlier this month and as proxy groups like Yemen’s Houthi rebels conduct attacks linked to the war. A drone attack Sunday claimed by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias killed three U.S. troops and wounded at least 25 others in Jordan.

Footage released by Iranian state television showed a nighttime launch for the Simorgh rocket. An Associated Press analysis of the