BBC Journalist Expelled From Iran

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - John Leyne, the BBC's permanent correspondent in Tehran, Iran, has been asked by Iranian authorities to leave the country for allegedly supporting rioters in the violent aftermath of the disputed reelection of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to a report by the AFP .

Leyne was ordered to leave the country within 24 hours. Foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi called the BBC and Voice of America, the U.S. federal government's radio and television broadcasting service, "the mouthpieces of their countries' diplomacy." In a statement, the BBC said that its Tehran office will remain open.

Reuters reports that the BBC has accused Iranian authorities of interfering with its broadcast signals. On Friday, the BBC said it had increased the number of satellites carrying its Iranian-language broadcasts to counter the interference.

As part of the Iranian government's crackdown on media coverage of the election protests, authorities also ordered the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya network to close its Tehran bureau indefinitely for "unfair reporting." Many Iranians have turned to the online microblogging service Twitter and video-sharing site YouTube to disseminate news on the protests in light of the media blackout.