EU Among Priority Spy Targets for NSA
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The European Union is ranked as a key priority in a list of spying targets for the US National Security Agency (NSA), a media report said.
The classified document, dated April 2013, states that the US secret services are especially interested in gathering intelligence concerning the 28-member bloc's foreign policy, international trade, and economic stability, German weekly Der Spiegel said Saturday, August 10, citing a document leaked by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
Using a ranking system from 1 to 5 (from high to low importance), those 3 areas were given a number 3 ranking, according to the document seen by Der Spiegel. Topics related to new technology and energy security were assigned the lowest-level priority.
Among individual countries, Washington reportedly listed China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and North Korea among its top surveillance targets.
Germany, France and Japan were considered of mid-level interest, the weekly added.
The latest revelations appear to back up earlier NSA documents released by Snowden that claimed that Washington was snooping on EU offices in Brussels and in the States, sparking outrage among European countries.
Snowden's leaks in recent weeks, which have revealed that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of telephone and online data around the world, have proved a major headache for Washington and even threatened to derail a huge US-EU trade deal.
Snowden, who is wanted by the US on espionage charges, was granted temporary asylum in Russia earlier this month, a move that so angered Obama that he cancelled an upcoming high-profile meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
