UK launches social media outlets for Iranians

PanARMENIAN.Net - Britain launched a website and Facebook page for Iranians, harnessing the power of social media to try to evade Iranian censorship and take its message directly to the people.

Britain is at loggerheads with Iran over its nuclear energy programme, which Tehran says is peaceful but which Britain and other Western powers suspect is aimed at developing a nuclear bomb.

Relations between Britain and Iran, always tense, hit new lows last November when Britain closed its embassy in Tehran after it was stormed by protesters and expelled all Iranian diplomats from London.

With the BBC, complaining of frequent jamming of its services to Iran, Britain is seeking new ways to communicate with Iranians.

"We are relaunching now our Iran website and social media presence for you and for you to use it," Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a video message on the "UK for Iranians" website (http://ukforiranians.fco.gov.uk/en in English and http://ukforiranians.fco.gov.uk/fa in Farsi).

The Foreign Office says the website as well as new Facebook, Twitter and Google+ accounts will provide information about Britain and its policies towards Iran as well as allowing Iranians to have discussions and ask questions.

BBC Director-General Mark Thompson said on Wednesday, March 14 the broadcaster had suffered a sophisticated cyber-attack following a campaign by Iranian authorities against its Persian service, although he stopped short of explicitly accusing the Iranian government of being responsible.

Thompson also reported attempts to jam satellite feeds of BBC services into Iran and to swamp its London phone lines with automated calls.