HRANA News Agency – As the presidential election approaches, Iranian officials have, once again, banned the use of satellite dishes and begun interrupting their signals throughout Salmas Country in West Azerbaijan Province.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), plain clothes agents together with security forces began searching the neighborhoods in the city of Salmas early morning on Saturday, June 8, 2013.  Citizens of Salmas County have objected to illegal searches conducted without a warrant.

Iranian government has banned satellite dishes, citing the spread of non-Islamic values and obscenity as the primarily reason for the ban.  In reality, though, the signals of news channels are mostly interrupted, and satellite dishes are generally confiscated during election cycles.