Iranian army warns BBC against meddling in polls

A senior Iranian military official on Monday warned the BBC against interfering in the country's upcoming elections, urging the foreign ministry to react immediately.

Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of Iran's Armed Forces, was responding to alleged recent attempts by the BBC to persuade Iranians not to vote for certain candidates running for the Assembly of Experts elections slated for February 26, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The foreign ministry's silence on the British interference in our country's internal affairs raises doubts," Jazayeri said, urging the ministry to show "decisive and proportional" reaction to the British government and its embassy in Iran because of what he described as BBC's "brazen interference" in the country's domestic issues.

Iran's Assembly of Experts is a deliberative body of Islamic theologians or Mujtahids, elected for eight-year terms, and charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.

Persian-language satellite channels of the Voice of America and the BBC are regarded as the voice of the opposition groups by Iranian officials.

The Islamic republic has banned Iranians from establishing any link with these channels.