Iran Revokes CNN's Accreditation

Iranian President Ahmadinejad (file photo) (epa) 16 January 2006 -- Iran has suspended CNN's accreditation after an employee of the news service misquoted President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

The Culture Ministry said today that no CNN staffers will be allowed into the country until further notice.

During its simultaneous translation of a presidential news conference on 14 January, CNN quoted Ahmadinejad as saying: "The use of nuclear weapons is Iran's right."

What Ahmadinejad actually said was: "The use of nuclear energy and technology is Iran's right."

CNN apologized for the error. But the Iranian authorities accuse the broadcaster of deliberately mistranslating Ahmadinejad's statement.

(Reuters, dpa)