US Seizes 36 Domains of Iranian Government-Related Websites for Spreading "False Information"...

Iran, Hamas, Houthi Rebel Sites Blocked
Analyzed as a Warning Amid Stalled Nuclear Deal
100 Sites Related to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Also Blocked Last Year

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. government has reportedly seized and blocked the domains of about 30 websites linked to the Iranian government on the grounds of spreading disinformation. This move is interpreted as a warning related to the stalled restoration talks of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA · Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) following anti-American remarks by Iran’s president-elect Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi.

On the 22nd (local time), the Associated Press, citing U.S. officials, reported, "the U.S. government has seized and blocked the domains of approximately 36 websites connected to Iran, most of which are related to Iran’s disinformation efforts." Among the blocked websites are Iranian sites such as PressTV, the English-language service of Iran’s state TV, and Al-Alam, the Arabic channel, as well as Al Masirah, a satellite news channel operated by the Yemeni Houthi rebels sponsored by Iran, and "Palestine Today," linked to Hamas, the armed faction in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

When accessing the domains of the currently blocked websites, a message appears stating, "This website’s domain has been seized by the U.S. government under a seizure warrant as part of law enforcement by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)." Last October, the U.S. blocked nearly 100 websites related to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. At that time, the U.S. stated that these sites were conducting global disinformation campaigns disguised as pure news media to influence U.S. policy.

The media outlets whose websites were blocked immediately protested. Fars, Iran’s semi-official news agency, tweeted that several news agencies and TV channels were among the blocked websites, calling it a "blatant violation of press freedom." Al Masirah, operated by the Houthi rebels, also protested, saying, "The channel was cut off without prior notice," and vowed, "We will continue our mission to resist copyright infringement acts by the U.S. and Israel by any means necessary."

This move is interpreted as a warning message in response to the anti-American stance shown by President-elect Raisi, who won a landslide victory in Iran’s recent presidential election and stated, "I have no intention of meeting President Biden," thereby obstructing nuclear deal negotiations. CNN analyzed that "the U.S. government’s domain seizure could be a provocative act carried out while the nuclear deal restoration talks are still ongoing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.