Iran's president says the Islamic republic has successfully sent a monkey into space for the second time, as part of a program aimed at manned space flight.

Hassan Rouhani's website president.ir said on Saturday the launch of the rocket dubbed Pajohesh, or 'Research' in Farsi, was Iran's first use of liquid fuel.

It said the monkey, named Fargam, or 'Auspicious', was returned to Earth safely.

It did not say when the launch happened or give other details.

Iran frequently claims technological breakthroughs that are impossible to verify independently.

The Islamic republic has said it aimed to send an astronaut into space.

It said it sent a monkey into space in January, reaching a height of 120 kilometres, but one of two official packages of photos of the simian space traveller depicted a different monkey, raising doubts among international observers as to whether the launch was as successful as reported.

The US and its allies worry that technology from the space program could also be used to develop long-range missiles that could potentially be armed with nuclear warheads.

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Iran's auspicious monkey launch