Iran is preparing a site for launching a satellite, a government minister said on Monday, highlighting a program the United States says is a cover for ballistic missile development.

"Yes, a site is being prepared for placing the Zafar satellite into orbit," Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted.

After the Zafar satellite is placed in orbit a timeline has been finalized to launch five more, the minister said.

The United States fears long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads. 

Tehran denies the U.S. accusation that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development and says it has never pursued the development of nuclear weapons.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran following Washington's 2018 withdrawal from an international accord designed to put curbs on Iran's nuclear program.

Iran launched its first satellite Omid (Hope) in 2009 and the Rasad (Observation) satellite was sent into orbit in June 2011. Tehran said in 2012 that it had successfully put its third domestically-made satellite Navid (Promise) into orbit.