BBC: 'Iran jamming Persian TV service'

The BBC has claimed that its Persian TV service is being jammed from within Iran due to coverage of the political unrest in Egypt.

BBC Persian TV has been collaborating with the BBC's Arabic TV service to broadcast extensive rolling news from Egypt. It is thought that the impact of the coverage prompted the jamming of Persian TV's satellite signal last night.

The corporation said that a possible trigger point was a special interactive show aired yesterday, in which Iranian and Egyptian callers exchanged views on the revolution.

Many Iranian viewers said during the programme that they were watching events unfold in Cairo and elsewhere in the Middle East "extremely closely".

BBC Global News director Peter Horrocks said: "This jamming should stop immediately. The events in Egypt are being viewed by the entire world and it is wrong that our significant Iranian audience is being denied impartial news and information from BBC Persian TV.

"This is a regional story that Persian TV have been covering thoroughly and it is clear from our audience feedback that Iranian people want to know what is happening in Egypt. The BBC will not stop covering Egypt and it will continue to broadcast to the Iranian people."

The heavy electronic jamming has impacted the satellites used by the BBC in the Middle East to broadcast BBC Persian TV to Iran.

Satellite technicians claim to have traced the interference and confirmed it is coming from within Iran. BBC Persian TV, which broadcasts around eight hours a day in the Farsi language, continues to stream live online.

When it launched in January 2009, BBC Persian TV immediately endured criticism from within Iran, including the country's then culture minister describing the channel as illegal and a threat to national security. There have also been various attempts since then to interfere with the broadcast signal.