Both Italy and Russia have declined to launch Iranian satellites in the past, and Western governments bristled at today's launch as advanced rocketry isn't something the United States and her allies like to see in the hands of a diplomatically hostile state -- one that may or may not be enriching weapons grade uranium. Iranian authorities did not disclose the nature of the research or the purpose of launching live animals aboard the craft, nor did they disclose the time and place of the launch. The military-green surface-to-air missile truck that paraded the Kavoshgar-3 around to dramatic music prior to lift-off likely didn't help Iran's image either.