Tehran, Jan 15, IRNA-Iran took punitive measure against Cabled News Networks (CNN) on Monday invalidating press cards of CNN reporters in Tehran.

Foreign Press Department of Ministry of Culture and the Islamic Guidance said that it will not extend permit to reporters of CNN for violating "professional ethics".

The Foreign Press department said in a statement that press cards of CNN reporters are invalid and CNN reporters will no longer be granted press cards.

"Any revision in the decision depends on performance of Cabled News Networks in future," the statement said.

The decision was made in reaction to misquoting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his press conference in Tehran on Saturday.

Ahmadinejad said Iranian nation enjoy great civilization and longstanding culture and they do not need nuclear weapons. CNN reporter Christian Amanpour who is of Iranian origin and knows Persian as a native Iranian reported from Tehran that Iranian president said Iran would proceed with production of nuclear weapons.

CNN apologizes for misquoting Ahmadinejad's remarks

Cable News Network (CNN) has officially apologized for misquoting the remarks of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a press conference held Saturday.

CNN, in its website Sunday evening, said that due to a translation error, CNN incorrectly quoted Iranian Presisent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying in his speech on Saturday that "the use of nuclear weapons is Iran's right." In fact, what the Iranian president said was that "Iran has the right to nuclear energy, CNN clarified.

It said that the TV channel "takes this matter very seriously and apologizes for the error."

It should be pointed out here that CNN aired its wrong translation of the president's remarks a number of times and that among the many news agencies that were represented in the news conference, including those of the West, it was the only one which made the error.