The Dutch development agency Hivos says it is not surprised to find itself on Iran’s blacklist of sixty organisations the Iranian public are banned from having contact with.

The organisation says that over the past two years it has been accused in the Iranian media of undermining the government. The humanist agency works with local organisations in developing countries to campaign for equal rights and opportunities for women.

Iran accuses the organisations on its blacklist of engaging in a “soft war” against the Islamic Republic Other organisations on the list include Human Rights Watch, the BBC, US broadcasters, and the radio station Radio Zamaneh, which broadcasts from Amsterdam.