Iran Joins the Space Race; Launches First Satellite

Iran has officially joined the Space Race.
Iranian officials claim the country's first satellite will be used strictly for telecommunciations; they plan to launch five more satellites, three in the next three years.
It is the 18th largest country, with almost 70 million people living on about 1 million square miles of land. Maybe they do need five telecommunications satellites.
Given the recent political battles over its nuclear future, I can't help but wonder if they view the ability to launch Spaceships as a matter of national security or simply as the next logical step toward the future.
After all, scholars claim astronomy is the national pastime in Iran so it only makes sense.