Sunday, May 19, 2013

Iranian government has long blamed other countries, especially Britain, for "meddling" in its affairs


Worried that the government was monitoring their phone conversations, some residents said the Internet was the best way to transmit information. However, the spotty connection made it difficult to rely on the Web.  "It's beyond fear," said a woman who arrived at a U.S. airport from Iran but still did not want her name used for fear for her safety. "The situation is more like terror."  Watch arrivals describe the situation »   Meanwhile, Iranian authorities said they have arrested several foreign nationals, some with British passports, in connection with the country's post-election unrest.  Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ezhei said some people with links to the West and Israel had planned a series of bombings in Iran ahead of the election, Press TV reported Wednesday.  Watch a report on Iran's history with the West »  "England is among the countries that fan the flames with their heavy propaganda, which is against all diplomatic norms," Mohseni-Ezhei was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency. "And the BBC Farsi has also played a major role. Also, a number of people carrying British passports have played a role in the recent disturbances." The British Foreign Office said it was looking into the claims.  Iran is saying that the 26-year-old woman whose death Saturday has emerged as an emblem of the government's crackdown against protesters might have been shot by "mistake," the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported Wednesday.  The report said the investigation into the death of Neda Agha-Soltan is continuing, "but according to the evidence so far, it could be said that she was killed by mistake. The marksmen had mistaken her for the sister of one of the Monafeghin who had been executed in the Province of Mazandaran some time ago."  Monafeghin refers to the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran, which promotes a Marxist government for Iran and has waged a campaign against the fundamentalist Islamic Tehran government -- including bombings that killed politicians, judges and cabinet members.  Earlier Wednesday, Press TV said police had raided a building in central Tehran that was being used as a "headquarters" to foment post-election unrest.  The television station, citing unnamed sources, said the building was used by campaign staffers of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi. And evidence indicated that "foreign elements" were behind the planning, Press TV said.  The Iranian government has long blamed other countries, especially Britain, for "meddling" in its affairs but has offered no proof.  Tehran said Wednesday that it was temporarily recalling its ambassador from London, another move in escalating tit-for-tat gestures between the governments. On Tuesday, Britain expelled two Iranian diplomats. A day earlier, Iran told two British diplomats to leave.  The difficulty in getting information has been compounded by a government clampdown on representatives of the international news media, who have been banned from covering protests. That has led some news outlets, including CNN, to rely on people who are disseminating information via social networking Web sites.  According to Reporters Without Borders, 36 journalists have been arrested, 26 of them Iranian, since the election and "many others" are missing

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