US seizes 33 Iranian websites used for disinformation
WASHINGTON – In a campaign to spread disinformation and misinform the public, the United States has seized at least 33 websites used by Tehran to discredit truth-seeking efforts around the world.
The two countries have been embroiled in online and offline wars, which have often escalated into unpleasant exchanges, including the murder last year of a senior general in Iran and the subsequent downing of an airliner belonging to Ukraine.
Most of these websites were owned by the Islamic Union of Iranian Radio and Television. [IRTVU] which would be led by the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC]Washington officials said.
“Elements of the Iranian government… disguised as news outlets or media have targeted the United States with disinformation campaigns and malicious influence operations,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Wednesday called the seizure an example of “a systematic effort to distort freedom of expression globally and silence independent voices in the media.”
Saeed Khatibzadeh, the department’s spokesman, said in a statement that it was a “shameful” move by Washington, showing that the Biden administration is pursuing the path of former President Donald Trump and pledged that Iran would pursue the problem through legal channels.
The IRTVU and IRGC have both been blacklisted for US sanctions, making it illegal for Americans, US companies, and foreign or non-US companies with US subsidiaries to do business with them or their subsidiaries, Al-Jazeera reported.
Visitors to major Iranian media sites such as Press TV and Al-Alam, the country’s leading English and Arabic language broadcasters, as well as Yemen’s Al-Masirah Houthi TV channel, on Wednesday received statements from a single page, stating the website “has been seized by the United States government” along with seals from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Commerce.
Kataeb Hezbollah, the Iraqi group that had three seized sites, is a military faction closely linked to Tehran that Washington has officially designated as a terrorist group.
The US government also took over the domain name of the Palestine Today news site, which reflects the views of Gaza-based groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, redirecting the site to the same notice.
Bahrain’s LuaLua TV, a channel run by opposition groups with offices in London and Beirut, has also been seized by the United States.
State Broadcasting of the Islamic Republic of Iran [IRIB[ accused the United States of repressing freedom of expression and joining forces with Israel and Saudi Arabia “to block pro-resistance media outlets exposing the crimes of US allies in the region”.
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