Iran Focus

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Iran Focus is a news website which identifies itself as a "non-profit news service provider that focuses on events in Iran, Iraq, and the Middle East."[1]

Originally Iran Focus was a politically independent monthly hard copy newsletter on contemporary Iran that was started in October 1988 by the UK-based consultancy firm Menas Associates. When it was discovered that the Iranian opposition MKO had created the Iran Focus website, and in order to end any confusion, Menas ceased production in July 2005 and merged its monthly Iran Focus and fortnightly Iran Energy Focus into a new electronic monthly called Iran Strategic Focus which is only available by universal corporate subscription and includes the Iranian Oil Sector Organisational Charts and Tables, plus a Project Tracker database, which are also updated each month.

Ahmadinejad photograph

Main article: Controversies surrounding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

In 2005, the website originally claimed that they had obtained a photograph of a younger Ahmadinejad with a hostage, which was quickly published by the major Western news agencies AP, Reuters, and AFP. Publication of the photograph drew criticism because it was presented to the world without due investigation or verification.

Controversy

Critics state that the website is one of the web outlets of the MKO, a group identified as a terrorist organization by USA, Canada and European Union. Some say that the MKO uses Iranfocus.com, Iranterror.com and other websites to advocate its position, rather than present objective and accurate news reports.[2][3]

They suggest that these websites are trying to remove MKO's terrorist status through biased articles, and that the director of "Iran Focus", Mohammad Hanif Jazayeri, has actively engaged in campaigns to remove MKO from the terror lists.[2][4][5][6][7]

However, Mohammad Hanif Jazayeri denies MKO is a terrorist group, stating that he is trying to clear his father's name, whom he says has been killed by the Iranian government.[8] Mohammad Hanif Jazayeri is from the family of Laila Jazayeri who sacrificed herself by fire in London in 2003 for the MKO cause.

See also

References

  1. ↑ About us, Iran focus. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Milaninia, Nema (2005). "MadeUpStories.com - The MKO propaganda machine". Iranian.com. Retrieved 2006-05-06. 
  3. ↑ EU's Danielle Mitterrand supports filthy POMI/MKO terrorists Persian Journal Latest Iran News
  4. ↑ Iranian Truth - حقيقت ايرانى » Iran Focus: The MKO Propaganda Machine
  5. ↑ Iran Focus (www.iranfocus.com): The MKO Propaganda Machine
  6. ↑ nieuwsbrief stramien
  7. ↑ Search the WhoIs database
  8. ↑ News Analysis Freedom Fighter (from Hillingdon Times)

External links

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