Bijan Nobaveh-Vatan, deputy head of Iran Majlis Cultural Committee said on Tuesday that the move by the Spanish satellite provider, Hispasat, is completely at odds with the Western countries' claim to advocating freedom of speech.
“The ban on the Spanish-language Iranian channel that was covering South America, was an illegal act by Spain, and their [real] problem is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s political influence in that region, not the sanctions [against Iran],” the lawmaker said.
Hispasat took Press TV and Hispan TV off the air last Friday and ordered Overon, a subsidiary satellite company, to stop the transmission of the two international TV channels.
However, Hispan TV could be watched on Madrid’s land-based digital television because it has rented a short-frequency channel in Madrid and several other Spanish cities.
Hispan TV is officially registered in Spain and operates under that country's media law as well as the laws of the European Union (EU).
Meanwhile, the EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton said in an email to Press TV that the European bloc has not imposed sanctions on Iranian media.
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