Catherine Philp
London Times
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Iran’s police chief has accused the BBC of being an arm of MI6 and warned of severe punishment for any Iranians in contact with the organisation.
General Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, whose police forces have played a key role in the government crackdown on protesters since the disputed presidential election last June, was quoted by the IRNA news agency as saying that opposition activists had co-operated with the BBC and the Voice of America (VOA) “with the aim of weakening and overthrowing the system”.
“The BBC is the arm of MI6, and VOA belongs to the CIA,” he said. “Those who co-operate with foreign services through transmitting photos, reports, news and anti-revolutionary actions . . . should know that all their actions are monitored. We will settle accounts with them when the time comes.”
Tehran has repeatedly accused Britain and the US of fuelling the country’s post-election unrest. It also frequently accuses its opponents of being in league with the country’s enemies.
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