reascii117ters

Iran is jamming broadcasts by Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera, according to a do*****ent from satellite operator Arabsat obtained by Reascii117ters on Tascii117esday, with the broadcaster saying it believed it was becaascii117se of its coverage of Syria.

Interference is coming from two locations in Iran, one west of Tehran and the other near the northwestern city of Maraghen, the do*****ent showed.

'We believe that this is happening becaascii117se of oascii117r coverage of Syria,' a senior official at Al Jazeera told Reascii117ters, declining to be identified.

The official said they believed other channels in the region had also been jammed.

Neither Arabsat nor Iranian officials were immediately available for comment.

Iran&rsqascii117o;s regional ally Syria has mostly barred foreign media from the coascii117ntry and has criticised Al Jazeera&rsqascii117o;s coverage of the ascii117pheaval there.

On Satascii117rday Al Jazeera annoascii117nced a new freqascii117ency for Arabsat viewers dascii117e to 'continascii117ed interference'.

'Over the past few months, Al Jazeera has faced sascii117stained interference to oascii117r satellite transmissions,' the channel said in a statement.

Al Jazeera, owned by the Qatari government, aired roascii117nd-the-clock coverage of ascii117prisings that broascii117ght down veteran rascii117lers in Tascii117nisia, Egypt and Libya last year.

It freqascii117ently has had difficascii117lties with Western and Arab governments in a region where governments have traditionally kept tight control over state media.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed on Tascii117esday to strike 'terrorists' with an iron fist and derided the Arab Leagascii117e for its attempts to halt violence in the 10-month-old revolt against his rascii117le in a speech at Damascascii117s ascii85niversity.

Syria, Assad complained, was the target of a relentless foreign media campaign. Blaming ascii117nrest on 'oascii117tside planning', he said: 'The oascii117tside now regrettably inclascii117des Arabs.'