Ted Koppel hosts cable special on Iran

SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Veteran U.S. reporter Ted Koppel will host a special on the current diplomatic crisis with Iran that will air next month on the Discovery Channel.

The special titled in part "Iran -- The Most Dangerous Nation," is the product of three weeks Koppel and his crew spent in Iran shortly before Tehran stopped issuing visas to U.S. journalists.

Discovery said Monday the Nov. 19 special includes a visit to the Iraqi border and the holy city of Qom, and explores Iranian patriotism and the relations between the country's younger generation and the aging mullahs who call the shots.

The holy men came to power following the overthrow of the shah and the subsequent Iran hostage crisis of the late 1970s.

Koppel's career was catapulted during the 444-day hostage crises when he and ABC News launched "Nightline," the venerable late-night news show that got its start as a nightly update of the Iranian situation.