The head of Iran's space agency said today that his country is interested in cooperating with NASA. Speaking to reporters at the start of World Space Week, Mohsen Bahrami said that many in the world look at NASA's programs. It is the first time Iran had expressed such interest since signing last summer's landmark nuclear deal with world powers.<br/><br/>Bahrami said, however, that cooperation will only be possible with the agreement of leaders of both countries. He emphasised that Iran has a peaceful and powerful civil space<br/>program. <br/><br/>Iran has begun negotiations on technical cooperation with the space agencies of various countries in Europe, as well as Russia, China and Japan, Bahrami said. <br/><br/>Iran has long harbored ambitions to put its own satellites into orbit to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation, improve telecommunications and expand military surveillance.<br/><br/>The US and its allies worry that the same technology could also be used to develop long-range missiles. Iran has denied that it is using its space program to develop new weapons, and has said it is willing to share its scientific findings and satellite data with other countries.