{"id":571588,"date":"2021-06-23T12:06:52","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T16:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=571588"},"modified":"2021-06-23T12:06:56","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T16:06:56","slug":"u-s-doj-seizes-and-shuts-down-dozens-of-iran-linked-news-websites-which-spread-disinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-doj-seizes-and-shuts-down-dozens-of-iran-linked-news-websites-which-spread-disinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. DOJ Seizes And Shuts Down Dozens Of Iran-Linked News Websites Which Spread \u2018Disinformation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-s-doj-seizes-and-shuts-down-dozens-of-iran-linked-news-websites-which-spread-disinformation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=571588&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1233576551-e1624460413349.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"  style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p><span>The U.S. Justice Department seized more than 30 website domains with links to Iranian state media as part of a strategy to counter Iran\u2019s propaganda efforts, according to a press release.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cToday, pursuant to court orders, the United States seized 33 websites used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU) and three websites operated by Kata\u2019ib Hizballah (KH), in violation of U.S. sanctions,\u201d the U.S. Department of Justice announced in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/united-states-seizes-websites-used-iranian-islamic-radio-and-television-union-and-kata-ib\"><span>press release<\/span><\/a><span> titled, \u201cUnited States Seizes Websites Used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union and Kata\u2019ib Hizballah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cOn Oct. 22, 2020, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated IRTVU as a Specially Designated National (SDN) for being owned or controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC),\u201d the release explained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>According to the Justice Department, SDNs are \u201cprohibited from obtaining services, including website and domain services, in the United States without an OFAC license.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cOFAC\u2019s announcement explained that components of the government of Iran, to include IRTVU and others like it, disguised as news organizations or media outlets, targeted the United States with disinformation campaigns and malign influence operations,\u201d the release continued. \u201cThirty-three of the websites seized today were operated by IRTVU. The 33 domains are owned by a United States company. IRTVU did not obtain a license from OFAC prior to utilizing the domain names.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The release added that three additional websites seized were operated by KH.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cOn July 2, 2009, OFAC designated KH an SDN, and the Department of State designated KH a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The announcements described KH as an Iraqi terrorist organization that committed, directed, supported or posed a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces,\u201d the release stated. \u201cOFAC further explained that the IRGC provides lethal support to KH and other Iraqi Shia militia groups who target and kill Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces. The three domains operated by KH were owned by a United States company. KH did not obtain a license from OFAC prior to utilizing the domain names.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThese website seizures were investigated by the U.S. Department of Commerce\u2019s Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI. The National Security Division\u2019s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the seizure,\u201d the release said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The release concluded by noting that \u201c<\/span><span>The National Security Division\u2019s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section is investigating this matter in coordination with the FBI\u2019s Counterterrorism Division and Atlanta Field Office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-middle-east-03e651ff86918c871d9e1baaa5e30e37\"><span>Associated Press<\/span><\/a><span> also reported that the U.S. government \u201ctook over the domain name of the news website Palestine Today, which reflects the viewpoints of Gaza-based Islamic militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, redirecting the site to the same takedown notice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c<\/span><span>Last October, the Department of Justice announced the takedown of nearly 100 websites linked to Iran\u2019s powerful Revolutionary Guard,\u201d the Associated Press added. \u201cThe U.S. said the sites, operating under the guise of genuine news outlets, were waging a \u2018global disinformation campaign\u2019 to influence U.S. policy and push Iranian propaganda around the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i><span>member<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Justice Department seized more than 30 website domains with links to Iranian state media as part of a strategy to counter Iran\u2019s propaganda efforts, according to a press &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2281089,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1233576551-e1624460413349.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"U.S. DOJ Seizes And Shuts Down Dozens Of Iran-Linked News Websites Which Spread \u2018Disinformation\u2019","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-571588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1233576551-e1624460413349.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"U.S. DOJ Seizes And Shuts Down Dozens Of Iran-Linked News Websites Which Spread \u2018Disinformation\u2019","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2281089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}