India says it won't launch Iran satellite

NEW DELHI, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Indian officials said they don't plan to launch a satellite for Iran, a sensitive issue for Western countries already concerned about Iran's missile program.

India's decision not to launch the satellite for Tehran was announced while Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was in India for two days of talks, the BBC reported Tuesday.

"We received a letter from the Iranians to launch a satellite for them some months ago. We don't plan to give them a response," a top Indian official said.

Iran launched its first domestically made satellite in February, maintaining its intentions were peaceful, the BBC said. However, Western governments expressed concerns the technology used could lead to ballistic missile development.

Officials of the two countries also discussed common concerns surrounding violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In October, 30 members of Iran's elite revolutionary guards were killed in the country's Sistan province, which borders Pakistan.

"The two sides also took the opportunity for a detailed exchange of views on important regional and international issues, including the threat of terrorism confronting the two countries," India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

While both sides have a "common perception" about events in Afghanistan, "we differ is on the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan. The Iranians see this as a big problem," Indian officials told the BBC.