Iran intelligence, judiciary chiefs lash out at BBC

Iranian intelligence minister has advised all people, who are thinking about cooperation with BBC, to be careful and to "fall into the trap" of the broadcaster, labelling it "an anti-Iranian and counter-revolutionary institution".

"We are closely monitoring these connections and will appropriately deal with them in due course," Heydar Moslehi said on Sunday, Mehr news agency reported. On the recent arrest of a number of people, who worked secretly for BBC, he said that the British intelligence service, under the cover of BBC, had started a new phase of "destructive activities" against Iran, so the Intelligence Ministry stepped in to prevent people from "falling into their trap".

Moslehi also said that the arrest of these people has been the first step, emphasizing that the Intelligence Ministry will firmly fulfil its duties in this regard. He added that the Intelligence Ministry has obtained important information about people who are in connection with BBC and said that intelligence agents are diligently pursuing the issue.

Meanwhile Iran's Deputy Judiciary Chief Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi said Sunday the enemies are trying to portray the country in turmoil and to harm the Islamic establishment of Iran by launching television channels like BBC Persian, Press TV reported.

Raeisi told reporters that the enemies have no objective other than inflicting harm on Islamic Iran by launching channels such as the BBC Persian

"These channels obtain their information from Western intelligence and spy networks and [their] information is wrong," IRNA quoted the Iranian official as saying.

Raeisi added that by portraying the atmosphere of the country as tumultuous, they are trying to prepare the grounds to exploit the situation for their own benefit, saying that the US and its allies are funding such networks.

The BBC said Monday that Iran had detained six independent film makers whose work was screened by the broadcaster, but denied they were staff employees.

Earlier, Iran has blocked BBC’s activities, accusing the corporation of provoking the protest movement after the 2009 presidential elections.

According to an Iranian Intelligence Ministry statement, the members of the network provided the BBC with "propaganda subjects to be exploited in psychological warfare by the enemies of Iran and Islam".

The statement added that the members of the network, some of whom have been arrested, carried out anti-Iran missions commissioned by the BBC through illegal underground activities in return for massive sums of money.


/Trend/