Iran blocks the Beeb's Persian site

The BBC is reporting that access to its Persian language website is being blocked by Iranian authorities.

The block appears to have taken effect over the past three days, according to the Beeb, as tensions between the UK and Iran increased, depriving Iranian web users of a respected, independent news service.

According to the BBC, its Persian website is the most popular of its foreign language websites but in a climate of growing international web censorship some of the world's most controversial regimes are setting their sites on limiting their people's access to such internet resources.

Nigel Chapman, director of the BBC World Service, said: "BBC Persian.com is a major source of news for Iranians and has the biggest impact of any online site or newspaper in Persian.

"We are very concerned at this action and regret that it deprives a great number of ordinary Iranians of a trusted source of impartial and editorially independent news and information."

Chapman said the BBC will be making representations to the Iranian authorities in an attempt to get access to the service reinstated.

He added: "Online is an important part of life in modern Iran; there is a hugely active and engaged online community. The country is a world leader in terms of the proportion of the population engaged in blogging."