TEHRAN -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that many international media networks are controlled by people who possess the most destructive nuclear bombs.

In a meeting with representatives of various national radio and television networks attending the 7th International Radio Programs Festival, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the media can be used to facilitate the exchange of cultural concepts and lofty human values between nations.

The Leader stated that international media networks are suffering from an epidemic of ignoring human tragedies while magnifying insignificant events.

“International media networks casually ignore the death of 120,000 Iraqi civilians in the U.S.-led attack on Iraq and instead give wide coverage to bird flu victims.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said that a specific way of thinking and culture have dominated international media networks, serving the interests of multinational corporations and the hegemonic powers.

"If ethical values and virtue find a way into the administrative systems of international media networks, the situation of humanity will improve, and they will work for the happiness and prosperity of mankind," he noted.

He went on to say that the mass media could have a positive impact on the human condition and help promote world peace and international security, but they have become tools in the hands of warmongers seeking to ignite the flames of war and promote a particular lifestyle in order to destroy the cultural identity of nations.

The mass media should serve as fora for bilateral and multilateral dialogue among nations, he added.

Citing an example of "one-way propaganda", the Leader said that international mass media outlets are claiming that Iran's civilian nuclear program is actually a front for "weapons production" while many of these media outlets are themselves working for companies that manufacture conventional arms and nuclear weapons.

"They are spreading big lies every day. They do not cover the daily massacre of defenseless Palestinians by the Zionist regime, but instead give full coverage if an explosion occurs and a few people get injured," Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out.