BBC audiences in Iran, the Middle East and Europe may be experiencing disruption to their BBC TV or radio services today. That is because there is heavy electronic jamming of one of the satellites the BBC uses in the Middle East to broadcast the BBC Persian TV signal to Iran. Satellite technicians have traced that interference and it is coming from Iran. There has been intermittent interference fr...

The BBC documentary series on Iran and the West has been very interesting so far. One aspect of it that I thought I'd write a brief post on is about Iran and the UN. The Iran-Iraq War saw the Iraqis use chemical weapons against Iran. This is a breach of the Geneva Conventions and so of international law. The Iranian speakers on the programme said they had raised the matter at the UN. Nothing resul...

The BBC reports: BBC audiences in Iran, the Middle East and Europe may be experiencing disruption to their BBC TV or radio services today. That is because there is heavy electronic jamming of one of the satellites the BBC uses in the Middle East to broadcast the BBC Persian TV signal to Iran. Satellite technicians have traced

There is now a concerted campaign to pressure President Obama into taking military action against Iran. Commentators warn that opponents of this action should start refining their arguments now because the march for war may soon become a deafening din.

Two weeks ago, we learned that a former colleague had been arrested in Iran. Roxana Saberi, an American citizen, whose father is Iranian, has reported from Tehran for the BBC as well as the US public broadcaster NPR and ABC. She was detained at the end of January - but there is much that remains unclear about the circumstances of Roxana's arrest. Roxana, 31, has lived in Iran for the past six...

In a press conference yesterday, SecDef Leon Panetta gave a clear signal to Iran that they need have no fear of any action from the Obama Administration to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, whatever the new IAEA report says. Panetta said he agrees with his predecessor Robert Gates that a U.S. attack on Iran would only set Iran’s nuclear program back a few years and would lead to '...

Eric Lee of "Labour Start" is circulating an email which contains the following important items about an area of my special interest - the Trade Union Movements of Iran and Iraq. IRAN: ALL OUT FOR 26 JUNE GLOBAL SOLIDARITY ACTION DAY Four global union organizations representing over 170 million workers have called a worldwide action day on June 26 to demand justice for Iranian workers. Demonstrati...

The BBC launches its latest TV channel today - BBC Persian. It will be a daily eight hour service, for audiences in Iran, Afghanistan, and the wider region, broadcasting at peak times for the market. It will run from 1700 to 0100 local time in Iran (that's 1330 to 2130 GMT). The backbone of the schedule will be news, together with a rich mix of current affairs, features and documentaries, cul...

Commenting on Gordon Brown’s speech to the Israeli Parliament, in which he pledged to lead efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons programme, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said: "While the Prime Minister is absolutely right to condemn President Ahmadinejad’s vile threats to Israel, he must come clean about his position on military action against Iran. "He must make it clear t...

Extraordinary scenes in Iran over the past couple of days.  There seems to be genuine anger from the reformists and supporters of defeated presidential candidate Mirhossain Mousavi.  And the government is stamping  down, with stories of over 100 opponents imprisoned and violent action from the riot police.   What happens in Iran matters hugely.  It is the superpower of the region, with a cons...