Iran accuses Netherlands of conspiracy

The Iranian revolutionary guard is accusing the Netherlands of a conspiracy against the Islamic government through support for the opposition media.

In an official statement, the revolutionary guard says the Netherlands is paying millions of euros to internet sites and radio broadcasters, such as the Amsterdam-based Radio Zamaneh, that are hostile to Iran. The statement has been printed in several Iranian newspapers.

"One of the countries that have given financial support to the opposition over the past few years is the Netherlands," said the statement. "The Dutch project aimed to encourage sexual and moral deviation in society" and to support the idea that "threats [against Iran] are increasing... and that the current Iranian government is incapacitated."

The plot was led "in coordination with Britain" and involved "secret planning by the United States," said the revolutionary guards, an elite ideological corps set up to defend the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Dutch support for more diversity in the Iranian media is the result of a parliamentary decision in 2005. In reaction to a proposal from the Green party GroenLinks and the right-wing liberal party VVD, parliament decided to spend 11 million euros to set up an Iran-oriented satellite broadcaster. When that plan fell through, the money was directed to other media initiatives run by Iranian exiles. Some of these projects were run in cooperation with Press Now, a Netherlands-based organisation for the improvement of press freedom.

Tehran has repeatedly accused Washington and London of backing violent and non-violent actions against the state and has launched a number of crackdowns on bloggers and internet users deemed hostile to the authorities and Islamic values.