Iran to file lawsuit against hostile media in int’l societies

Tehran, IRNA – Iran's minister of culture announced on Monday that Tehran will soon file a complaint in international societies against certain Persian-language media outlets that provoke hostility towards the country. Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 18th meeting of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) General Assembly that kicked off in Tehran this morning. Media threats are not made solely against Iran, but any other independent and freedom-seeking nation in any corner of the world may be posed by such threats, the minister stressed. The arrogant administration of the United States explicitly follows media terrorism because it was unsuccessful in its economic, cultural, and military wars, said the minister, adding that the US is after achieving its goals through media deviation. Media deviation means showing the realities from the opposite side in order to deviate public opinions, which is what they did when dealing with the recent events across Iran, Esmaili noted. He went on to say that the smear campaigns and media terrorism did not work in Iran due to deep cultural roots and high media knowledge in the country. He hoped that holding the meetings like OANA’s would be effective in disseminating the realities and preventing the one-way information flow from happening. The 18th meeting of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) General Assembly began in the Iranian capital on Monday with the participation of Managing Director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Ali Naderi and with a speech made by Esmaili. Also, a senior media official from the South Korean News Agency of Yonhap, Kim Hyeon-jun, gave a speech at the OANA meeting. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish