US seizure of Iranian websites is ‘illegal’: envoy
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iran accused the United States of trying to “restrict freedom of expression” by seizing dozens of Iranian websites, a representative from Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on Tuesday.
The Iranian diplomat, whose name was not disclosed, called Washington’s action “illegal and bullying,” state media reported. “This action is an example of an attempt to restrict freedom of expression,” added the diplomat.
The US Department of Justice on Tuesday seized 33 domains used by Iranian media as well as three websites run by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia group classified as a terrorist organization by the US.
The sites, “disguised as news organizations or media outlets, targeted the United States with disinformation campaigns and malign influence operations,” the Justice department stated.
The seized domains, owned by a US company, are used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU), which is owned by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, officially designated a terrorist organization by Washington, who are “prohibited from obtaining services, including website and domain services, in the United States without an OFAC [the Office of Foreign Assets Control] license.”
Notices on the websites said the seizure was in relation to violations of US sanctions laws and bore the logos of the FBI and the US Department of Commerce.
At least one of the outlets, Press TV, has begun using an alternative domain.
In March, the US seized the official website of Kataib Hezbollah as well as its affiliated news outlet al-Maalomah.
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."
Washington and Tehran have long been at loggerheads, but tensions between them mounted during former President Donald Trump’s reign in the White House, most noticeably with the assassination of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport in January 2020.
Under Trump, Washington withdrew from a landmark nuclear Iranian deal in 2018 and re-imposed stringent sanctions on Iran in order to bring it to the negotiating table to discuss a number of pressing issues, including missiles and Tehran’s activities in the Middle East, where are led by Soleimani’s Quds Force.
Talks are ongoing in Vienna between Iran and other members of the nuclear deal to revive the accord, bringing the United States back on board, lifting sanctions, and Tehran back into full compliance with its nuclear obligations.
The Iranian diplomat, whose name was not disclosed, called Washington’s action “illegal and bullying,” state media reported. “This action is an example of an attempt to restrict freedom of expression,” added the diplomat.
The US Department of Justice on Tuesday seized 33 domains used by Iranian media as well as three websites run by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia group classified as a terrorist organization by the US.
The sites, “disguised as news organizations or media outlets, targeted the United States with disinformation campaigns and malign influence operations,” the Justice department stated.
The seized domains, owned by a US company, are used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU), which is owned by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, officially designated a terrorist organization by Washington, who are “prohibited from obtaining services, including website and domain services, in the United States without an OFAC [the Office of Foreign Assets Control] license.”
Notices on the websites said the seizure was in relation to violations of US sanctions laws and bore the logos of the FBI and the US Department of Commerce.
At least one of the outlets, Press TV, has begun using an alternative domain.
In March, the US seized the official website of Kataib Hezbollah as well as its affiliated news outlet al-Maalomah.
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."
Washington and Tehran have long been at loggerheads, but tensions between them mounted during former President Donald Trump’s reign in the White House, most noticeably with the assassination of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport in January 2020.
Under Trump, Washington withdrew from a landmark nuclear Iranian deal in 2018 and re-imposed stringent sanctions on Iran in order to bring it to the negotiating table to discuss a number of pressing issues, including missiles and Tehran’s activities in the Middle East, where are led by Soleimani’s Quds Force.
Talks are ongoing in Vienna between Iran and other members of the nuclear deal to revive the accord, bringing the United States back on board, lifting sanctions, and Tehran back into full compliance with its nuclear obligations.