Iran state media, militia-affiliated websites seized by US

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Several websites belonging to Iran state media and militias backed by the Islamic Republic have been seized by US law enforcement, according to notices posted to their websites on Tuesday night.

Iran’s international media outlets Press TV and al-Alam, in addition to a Yemeni TV channel al Masirah, run by the Houthi faction, were seized, with a notice posted to each site.

Alternative domains for some sites were working, but access was sporadic with others.

The websites were seized in relation with violations of US sanction laws, according to the notice, which bore the logos of the FBI and the US Department of Commerce. There was no official confirmation from the US at the time of this article's publication.

The US also closed down the official website of Kataib Hezbollah, which is classified as a foreign terrorist organisation in the US, as well as its affiliated news outlet al-Maluuma.

The US previously seized al-Maluuma in March. A source from the site told Rudaw English that site's administration had filed a grievance with the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, stressing that the news agency is independent, but it stands against US policies. 

"We reject the foreign presence in the country because it affects political decisions, and we do not want Iraq to be a battlefield," they said.

"The internet must not be used as a recruitment tool for terrorist organizations to promote violent extremism and spread their hateful rhetoric," Raj Parekh, Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said at the time.

In August 2020, the US took control of the website of Iraqi TV channel Al Etejah, saying that it was being used by Kataib Hezbollah to publish videos, articles, and photographs, promoting “Islamic Resistance".

Tensions between Iran and the US spiked following the US drone strike in Iraq that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in January 2020. Militias close to Tehran often carry out attacks on US forces and its diplomatic sites in Iraq.