Iran's leader sets up Internet control group

[March 08, 2012]  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's supreme leader has ordered the creation of an Internet oversight agency that includes top military and political figures in the country's boldest attempt to control the web.

Wednesday's announcement on the state media follows a series of high-profile crackdowns on cyberspace including efforts to block opposition sites and setting up special teams for what Iran calls its "soft war" against the West and allies.

Iran has blamed Israel for a computer virus discovered in 2010 that targeted uranium enrichment equipment.

The order by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave no specifics on the new group. But it includes powerful figures in the security establishment such as the intelligence minister and the commander of the Revolutionary Guard.

[Associated Press]

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