Iran Tells BBC to Change its "Anti-Iran" Stance

Mussab al-Khairalla, Reuters:

Iran said on Monday it would continue to block the BBC's Persian-language Web site until Britain's public service broadcaster changed its "anti-Iranian tendency" and treatment of Islamic issues. The BBC accused Iranian authorities last month of blocking the site, describing it as one of the most influential sources of news in Iran.

"What was done to the BBC Persian-language Web site ... was carried out because it was pursuing an anti-Iranian tendency in its activities," Culture Minister Mohammad Hossein Saffar-Harandi told a news conference.

"It is clear that we will not allow it," he added.

"But as for how long the ban will continue, it depends on the approach the BBC chooses in its treatment of the Islamic world and Iran," he said.

Saffar-Harandi did not say exactly what aspect of BBC coverage had upset Iranian authorities.

The BBC says the site (www.bbc.co.uk/persian) normally receives 30 million page views a month, making it the broadcaster's most popular foreign-language site.

The broadcaster said in a statement in January that the site was read by about one third of Iran's 7 million Internet users.READ MORE

Many news-hungry Iranians use the Internet as a source of news, analysis and opinion, and "behind-the-scenes" revelations, as dozens of reformist publications have been banned in the last few years.