The warehouses of IRIB are filled with confiscated satellites

Alireza Golestani, the Deputy for Economic Planning at the Anti-Smuggling Headquarters, has reported a "large volume" of confiscated satellite equipment in Iran, stating that the warehouses of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) are filled with confiscated satellites and "there is no more space." Golestani made these remarks on Saturday (November 30) in an interview with the Tasnim news agency. According to him, by law, confiscated satellite equipment should be handed over to IRIB, "but currently IRIB has raised its hands and claims that its warehouses are full." Golestani explicitly added that the confiscated satellite equipment in the country is "so much that it has caused us problems." He further stated that the demand for satellite equipment in Iran cannot be denied, "for example, when you go on the roofs of apartments, you see a considerable number of satellite antennas." He referred to the satellite penetration rate, which was reported to be nearly 60% in 2007, saying, "Of course, in recent years this rate has certainly increased." Ezzatollah Zarghami, the former head of IRIB, also stated earlier this year that more than 60% of the people in Tehran and an average of 40% of the people in the country watch satellite channels. The ruling clerics in Iran have long warned about the performance of satellite networks and their impact on the Iranian people, calling for action against these networks. Iranian officials have also invested heavily over the years to combat satellite networks and virtual networks on the internet, which so far have not been successful. Ahmad Khatami, the interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran, previously stated that "satellite antennas are hellish antennas whose program is to secularize religion, moralize, and separate people from the path of martyrs." Khatami added, "Today, hundreds of satellite networks and foreign websites target the people's religion and seek to change the religious lifestyle, especially in family centers." He addressed believers, saying, "Satellite networks are your enemies, and they are on a mission to dismantle the religious fabric of this country, especially the religion of the youth, and they want to remove religion from people's homes." Ali Saidi, the representative of Ayatollah Khamenei in the IRGC, also stated, "Satellite media are trying to create doubts about the IRGC among the people. They confuse the minds of teenagers and young people by raising unfounded questions."