US President Donald Trump has ruled out involvement in an accident at the Iranian spaceport in Semnan. "The US was not involved in the catastrophic crash during the final startup preparations," he tweeted.
In the Iranian province of Semnan, a launcher had exploded on the launch pad on Thursday. This was confirmed by a spokesman for Iran.
He wishes Iran "all the best and good luck of the Enlightenment," Trump wrote on Twitter. He also posted a satellite image showing the destroyed launch pad.
The missile crash is the next setback for Iran's controversial missile program. In January, the satellite "Pajam" missed its orbit. The satellite should gather information about the state of the environment in the country.
Criticism from the USA
The US had criticized the launch of the missiles and talked of a provocation. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the plans as a violation of a UN Security Council resolution banning Iran from using any ballistic missile that could be used for nuclear warheads.
Iran's foreign ministry dismissed the allegations as saying it was a "civilian project with a purely scientific purpose".
