Iran's secret service launches website

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's Intelligence Ministry has launched a website for the first time in a move widely interpreted as an attempt to soften its image and coax Iranians into helping provide the country's spies with information.

The website, vaja.ir, gives the location of secret service buildings in provincial towns and encourages Iranians to contact the ministry if they have information.

The website, which was launched Saturday, also trumpets what it describes as Iranian achievements in its long-running intelligence battle with the West, including the capture of a U.S. surveillance drone last year.

Iran says it is locked in an intense intelligence war with the West largely linked to the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear program. The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.