According to the poll, that was conducted by three polling institutions, two of them close to the hard liners, 64.5 per cent of Iranians favoured resumption of ties with the US while 74.7 per cent wanted dialogue. Over 45 per cent thought US policies towards Iran were correct, although President George W. Bush has included the Islamic Republic in an "axis of evil" with Iraq and North Korea.

IRNA reported on the opinion poll as on orders from Mr. Khameneh'i, the Judiciary had sternly barred the media from printing anything in support of dialogue with the United States, but leaving them free to publish articles against relations with Washington.

Under the strong barrage from the conservatives-controlled press, IRNA, in a statement published two days later, applogised, explaining that the release of the polls’ results was due to a "human error", but did not contested the veracity of the poll, in which 54 per cent of the interviewees blamed Iranian decision-makers for the poor state of relations between Tehran and Washington.

The pro-government IRNA said that Naseri had been summoned by Judge Sa’id Mortezavi, dubbed "the Butcher of the press" on a complaint filed by the State Prosecutor, in this case the Head of the Justice Department of the Capital, Tehran.

On orders from Mr. Khameneh'i, Judge Mortazavi has shut 87 publications in the past two years, most of them supporting reforms.

"Managing Director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Abdollah Nasseri Monday appeared at the court to answer a complaint filed by the Public Prosecutor", IRNA said, adding that Mr. Naseri told Mortazavi that the poll had been prepared by three independent institutions, and rejected the reports that it was fake.

Mr Naseri -- a close friend of President Mohammad Khatami -- appeared in court just as a European Union delegation opened the first formal talks with Iran on human rights, one of several issues, including the recognition of both the State of Israel and Palestinian Authority, linked to a proposed Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

In its annual report on the situation of human rights worldwide, British Foreign Office faulted the Islamic Republic on several issues, including discrimination against women, crackdown on the press, jailing prominent journalists, lawmakers and lawyers, repressions against religious minorities, mostly the Baha’i, growing number of executions and torture of political prisoners.

In a fax to Ayatollah Khameneh’i, the Rome-based Association of Iranian Journalists Abroad (AIJA) strongly condemned the "orchestrated campaign" against IRNA and the summoning of Mr. Naseri and urged him to end the "bundle closure" of the press.