(AP) A Russian deputy foreign minister says the upcoming U.N. Security Council session on Iran is an attempt by the United States to violate Iran's sovereignty.
Sergei Ryabkov made the comments Friday, several hours before the session is to convene.
The United States, which has voiced support for the anti-government protests that have swept Iran over the past week, called for the emergency session.
Ryabkov says "the United States continues to pursue a policy of open and implicit interference in the internal affairs of other states — doing it unabashedly, openly, under the slogan of caring for democracy and human rights, directly infringing on the sovereignty of other states,"
His comments were carried by the Interfax news agency
(AFP) Iranian ministers should be punished if they deliberately failed to censor online content by "trouble-makers and enemies", said the head of the country's cybercrime committee on Friday.
"The order to block all channels on encrypted messaging service Telegram, that in recent days incited the population to violence and trouble, was transmitted by judicial officials to the telecoms ministry a long time ago, but unfortunately nothing was done," said Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, according to local media.
"If it is proven that officials voluntarily refused to take the necessary measures to prevent the activities of trouble-makers and enemies, they must be punished," added Khoramabadi, who is also deputy to Iran's chief prosecutor.
Telegram and Instagram were blocked shortly after protests began on December 28, and officials also moved to shut down privacy software widely used to get round online restrictions.
Khoramabadi claimed there were 8,500 channels on Telegram with content that was against "national security, the values of Islam and public morale".
"The former minister and the current minister have resisted in the face of orders" to block these channels, he said.
Video appears to show security forces on motorbikes in Kermanshah:
Some Iranians on Twitter have been calling on the U.S. to impose sanctions on Iran's state controlled television:
Afghan man holds solo protest outside the Iranian embassy In Kabul apparently to show support for anti-establishment protesters in Iran: