Iran blocks UK foreign affairs website

2011-12-22 22:09:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- The British government on Thursday said Iran has blocked access to a foreign office website, less than a month after an attack on British diplomatic compounds in Tehran led to the closure of its Embassy.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Iranian government has added the website of Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to its list of censored websites. "This action is counter-productive and ill-judged," he said.

The 'UK in Iran' website contains information about British government policies and statements, including criticism of the human rights situation in Iran and the country's controversial nuclear program. It also includes information for Iranians who want to visit Britain.

"[This action] will confirm to the Iranian people that their government is determined to block their access to information, and to conceal from them the international community's legitimate concerns about Iran's policies and behavior," Hague said. "It will also make it harder for Iranian nationals to access information about visiting the UK. And it is further proof to the rest of the world the Iranian government's dire record on freedom of speech and human rights in general."

Hague said Iran's blocking of its website will not deter Britain from continuing to engage with the Iranian people, including through the internet. The Iranian government did not immediately comment on the apparent blocking of the website, which now redirects to Iranian government approved websites when accessed from Iran.

The move comes less than a month after hundreds of Iranian protesters stormed the British embassy and another British diplomatic compound in Tehran. Britain claimed the attack could not have happened without consent from Iranian authorities, and in response closed the embassy.

Hague also ordered the closure of the Iranian Embassy in London and expelled all its diplomats. Iran warned that Britain's closure of its embassy in London would have consequences, but it was not immediately clear if the blocking of the UK website was the result of that.

Earlier this month, Iran also blocked access to the website of the 'Virtual U.S. Embassy to Tehran'. The website, which contains visa information, articles, general information and a video of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was blocked within hours.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-12-22

Just childish really. Would like to see that little Ahmadinejad bloke and his puppet master Khamenei on the 2011 list - Bin Laden, Gaddafi and Kim already made it.