Iran says it's put a second military satellite into orbit

Iran said Tuesday it had placed a second military satellite in orbit, as talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers reach a critical stage.

"Iran's second military satellite -- named Nour-2 -- has been launched into space by the Qassed rocket of the aerospace wing of the Revolutionary Guards and successfully placed in orbit 500 kilometres (310 miles) above the Earth," the official IRNA news agency reported.

The Revolutionary Guards described the Nour-2 as a "reconnaissance satellite" in a statement on their Sepah News website.