TEHRAN - Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Deputy Director for International Affairs Mohammad Sarafraz said here on Wednesday that the English-language satellite news network Press TV will officially start its global broadcasts on July 2.

“Press TV plans to present a new perspective to its viewers around the world,” Sarafraz told reporters at a press conference. Press TV plans to present news every half hour, round-the-clock, the IRIB deputy director stated. Sarafraz said the network would mainly focus on developments in the Middle East and the United States and analysis of current events throughout the world. Press TV currently has 26 professional correspondents stationed in important regions of the world, and there are plans to hire more reporters, he announced. Unfortunately, most media outlets only provide a one-sided view of current events around the world, but Press TV intends to counter this disinformation and provide different perspectives to its viewers, he explained. He rejected the remarks of critics who say that Press TV will only be an Iranian version of Aljazeera, saying such a comparison can not be made because Aljazeera has proven to be a biased broadcaster since it sided with the Taleban in the U.S. war in Afghanistan and with Saddam Hussein in the Iraq war. On the other hand, Western news networks defended the invasion of Iraq and now justify the presence of foreign troops by claiming that they are there to establish security and to help promote democracy in the Middle East, while democracy is currently being sacrificed in Palestine, he said