EDINBURGH, September 30 (RIA Novosti), Mark Hirst – The BBC has formally dismissed claims by Iranian state television, Press TV, that said the British news organization had stolen "artistic, historic and cultural" archives from the Islamic Republic.
Paul Rasmussen, a spokesman for the BBC World Service, told RIA Novosti, "The allegation is without foundation."
Rasmussen also confirmed that the British state broadcaster had received no official contact from the Iranian Government or received a complaint about the allegations made on Iranian state television Sunday.
The Press TV report referred to a statement by Iran's Intelligence Ministry and said, "In line with efforts made to make up for its failures, the Western media network [The BBC] has used its agents inside the country to pilfer historical documents from the country's official archives.
"The move, which was against media regulations and international law, has been monitored and nipped in the bud as a result of appropriate measures taken by the Iranian intelligence forces," the Press TV report added.
"The [Intelligence] ministry also noted that further information on the operation will be made public in due time," the report said.
Two film-makers were arrested and later released in Iran in 2012 over alleged links to the BBC.
Iranian state TV had also said several months later that the BBC hacked its website to change the results of a poll about Iran's nuclear program.
