Iranian Armed Forces Say Media Staff Could Enter Military Target Bank

Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces, said personnel at BBC Persian, Iran International and Radio Farda could be placed in Iran’s military target bank. Speaking at an August 26 ceremony unveiling foreign-language pages for Defa Press, he accused the outlets of taking operational direction and support from Mossad, the CIA and other hostile intelligence services, without presenting evidence. Shekarchi described the staff as soldiers of Zionism and America and said Tehran does not regard the organizations as media. He did not specify where or how the threatened targets could be attacked.