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Britain condemns Iran for blocking UK website
Britain`s foreign secretary condemned Iran for blocking a website aimed at explaining the UK and its policies to Iranians.
William Hague said that barring the British government`s
"UK for Iranians" site three days after it was launched proved
"the Iranian authorities fear their own citizens` interaction
and involvement with the outside world."
"UK for Iranians" was launched Wednesday, after Iran
blocked the website of Britain`s now shuttered embassy in
Tehran in December.
Britain said Iran blocked the site yesterday. It was
unavailable to users in Iran today.
Diplomatic relations between Britain and Iran have
deteriorated as tensions mount over Tehran`s disputed nuclear
program.
Britain pulled its diplomats out of Iran and expelled
Iranian diplomats from the UK after violent demonstrators
attacked its embassy in Tehran in November.
The BBC`s Persian service is regularly blocked in Iran,
and the broadcaster has accused Iran of harassing staff of the
service through slander, snooping and the arrest of their
relatives.
Last year Britain`s broadcast regulator revoked the license of
state-owned Iranian channel Press TV. It insisted the move was
not politically motivated.
Hague said Britain had "no quarrel with the Iranian
people."
"We will continue to look for opportunities to engage
with the Iranian people, confident that Iranians are outward
looking and deserve the same freedoms that others enjoy around
the world," he said.
PTI