U.S. wary of Iran's 'electronic curtain'

WASHINGTON, March 21 (UPI) -- The White House announced plans to offer social-networking software to Iranians in an effort to "make it easier" for them to use the Internet.

U.S. President Barack Obama, in a Nowruz message, said there's "no reason" for the United States and Iran to be divided. He cautioned, however, that the Iranian government has dropped an "electronic curtain" that prevents its people for getting vital information from the outside world.

He said new technologies that should empower citizens are being used to repress them by regimes like Iran's.

"My administration is issuing new guidelines to make it easier for American businesses to provide software and services into Iran that will make it easier for the Iranian people to use the Internet," Obama said in his message.

Human rights groups allege Iran disrupted some venues for free speech ahead of parliamentary elections in early March. Tehran blocked Internet and cellular phone track following contested presidential elections in 2009.

Last week, London launched its own social-media program, dubbed U.K. for Iranians, that gave the British government the opportunity to provide "an accurate and undistorted picture" of British policy toward Iran.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had called for a Supreme Council of Cyberspace to assess the impact the Internet had on social life and "to prevent damages."