DPA

TEHRAN IRAN has criticised Germany over a reported order to remove an Iran’s state-owned news television channel, Press TV, from a European broadcast satellite, Fars news agency reported on Friday.

Press TV said media authorities in Germany had told the uplink company to stop transmitting the signal on Tuesday to an Astra satellite, owned by SES, which in turn broadcast the channel to television receiver sets in Germany.

“The programmes of Press TV have been cut in Germany, which shows that there is no tolerance and that only a news coverage solely serving the interests of imperialistic powers is wanted,” Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini told Fars.

According to Press TV, the SES Astra Platform Services company said it was told by state media regulator BLM that the network had no license to be broadcast in Europe.

SES Astra Platform Services, based in Germany, sends TV signals to Astra satellites, which are operated by Luxembourg-based SES.

BLM’s office was closed for a public holiday on Friday and there was no mention of the ruling in its online press releases.

Press TV claims that the decision was made under pressure from the German government and was “part of a plot orchestrated by the West to silence the voice of alternative news networks.”