Iran blocks the airwaves

Photo courtesy of the BBC

The authorities in Iran are reportedly making new plans to disrupt broadcasts from abroad after earlier efforts failed to stem the tide sufficiently.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), a hardline body guarding the gains of the 1979 Islamic revolution, intends to increase the number of jamming stations in Tehran and other cities from 50 to 300 within two years, an Iranian online paper has reported.

The independent online paper Rooz says new technology will be used in an attempt to block specific satellite channels broadcasting from abroad.

The move comes at a time the Bush administration is planning to expand TV broadcasts to Iran, to augment Persian-language broadcasts by Voice of America. Iran targets foreign broadcasters

Mark Alexander