German radio opens bureau in Iran

Germany's ARD public radio station opened a bureau in Iran, German press said on Monday. The Tehran-based office was offically inaugurated Saturday by the editor-in-chief of the Suedwestrundfunk (SWR) radio network, Arthur Landwehr. SWR is a regional affiliate of ARD and in the past used to cover Iran via Turkey. SWR correspondent Reinhard Baumgarten is assigned to report for the radio network from Iran. According to Landwehr, Iran remains 'one of the central forces' in the Middle East, highlighting the need to report first-hand from the Islamic Republic of Iran.