The US government seized 33 websites belonging to the Iranian Radio and Islamic Television Union (IRTVU), as well as three other sites belonging to Kata’ib Hezballah (KH) based in Iraqi, after the groups have us Violated American sanctions, the Ministry of Justice said in a statement yesterday. More specifically, the doj accused the information sites of dissemination dissemination, which bears in mind the October announcement from the Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, calling Iran and Russia For use misinformation to interfere with the American elections. The seized sites include press television, the English language side of Iran’s state television and Palestine today, which focuses on the views of Islamic militant groups such as Hamas, reports. From Washington Post.
The DoJ says the Foreign Asset Control Office (OFAC) labeled IRTVU as a national (SDN) specifically designated in October, because of its direct links of Iran. This label essentially prevents organizations from obtaining American services without a license of OFAC. The DoJ notes that neither Irtvu or KH did not acquire DEAC licenses for seized areas, although areas belonged to US companies.
In October, the DoJ also announced that it seizes 92 areas related to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, after being part of a global disinformation campaign. It’s not just the US government making similar claims. In September, Microsoft also announced that Iran, Russia and China were behind persistent piracy attempts to mingle with American elections.