On June 22, the United States Justice Department took down 36 Iranian websites for violating the sanctions issued by the US. The websites are said to be a part of a disinformation campaign and reportedly associated with violent organisations.

On 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). SDNs are prohibited from obtaining services, including website and domain services, in the United States without an OFAC license. OFAC’s 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. Thirty-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.

Three additional websites seized today were operated by KH. On 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. OFAC 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.

In a statement, the Justice Department said, “Today, 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’ib Hizballah (KH), in violation of US sanctions.” It must be mentioned that KH has been listed as a Foreign Terror Organisation by the US.

According to the Justice Department, the 33 domains used by IRTVU were registered by a US company. Reportedly, IRTVU did not seek a license from the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control before using the domains. Similarly, the three websites of the Kata’ib Hizballah also did not have any license. “This website has been seized,” read a notice on the top of such websites.

Iran's President-Elect Ebrahim Raisi holds a press conference at Shahid Beheshti conference hall in Tehran on Monday

It further stated, “The domain alalamtv.net has been seized by the United States Government in accordance with a seizure warrant issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C 981, 982 and 50 U.S.C. 1701-1705 as part of a law enforcement action by the Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Crackdown by the US Justice Department on Iranian websites

The notices were issued shortly after the appointment of Ebrahim Raisi as the President of Iran. Raisi is a well-known Islamic fundamentalist and a fierce critic of the United States. They appeared on Iranian media websites such as Alalam TV, Almasirah, Lualua TV, Press TV, and sites associated with Iran such as Yemen’s Houthi movement, Masirah TV.

In October last year, the US Justice Department seized 92 domains used by the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to spread disinformation across the world by posing as independent media outlets. The United States wants to revive the 2015 nuclear deal to stop its nuclear power project. In return, Iran would be allowed to return to the global oil market.

It must be mentioned that the deadline of the monitoring pact between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran expired on June 24, thereby complicating diplomatic efforts.

Screengrab of the notice on Alalam Tv Website

In January 2020, when the news was still dominated by the consequences of the US drone assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani, and the IRGC firing of missiles at the US bases and its shooting down of a passenger plane, the hardline Fars News Agency’s .com domain was blocked.

Shortly after, the Donald Trump administration also seized the website of the IRAN daily newspaper and several other affiliated outlets.

This was followed months later by the seizure of two websites utilised by Kataeb Hezbollah, and 92 domain names “unlawfully used by Iran’s IRGC to engage in a global disinformation campaign”.

Those incidents gave credence to arguments of US interference and censoring used by Iranian officials to convince the public and push ahead with the NIN, which has been in the works for more than 10 years.

Sadjad Bonabi, an infrastructure development official with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, said in January 2020 that the infrastructures provided by the NIN have “alleviated many of the concerns from cruel sanctions”.

“These are excuses Iranian authorities – regardless of whether they come from the hardline factions or are part of President Hassan Rouhani’s moderate government – use to justify the need to strengthen the nationalisation of the Iranian Internet inwards in the NIN project,” Mahsa Alimardani, a researcher with British human rights organisation ARTICLE19, told Al Jazeera.

But while the NIN can have positive effects, like easing access to online services, reducing costs and increasing efficiency, some Iranians are concerned about its potential use in restricting internet access.

Those concerns were proven true in November 2019 when, amid nationwide protests that were sparked by an overnight tripling of fuel costs, the state almost completely shut off global internet access for a week – longer in several cities – and began a crackdown that rights groups say killed hundreds of people. Only some local internet services were accessible through the NIN during that time.

The US Department of Justice said 36 websites had been taken down

Moreover, officials including President-elect Ebrahim Raisi, have talked about a layered internet access model and “legal VPNs” (virtual private networks) that would provide different levels of internet access to people based on profession among other things.

Iran condemns US move

Meanwhile, many of the websites resurfaced through other domain names. Iran condemned the move and warned that it could derail ongoing talks about reviving a nuclear deal. While speaking about the US’ actions, the Director of Iran’s President’s Office Mahmoud Vaezi remarked, “We are using all international and legal means to… condemn… this mistaken policy of the United States. It appears not constructive when talks for a deal on the nuclear issue are underway.”

Seized news website Press TV slams Biden administration

Besides, Iranian news outlet YJC agency claimed that the US decision to seize domains of the country’s news website was a reflection of the fact that ‘calls for freedom of speech are lies’. Press TV, whose website was also seized by the US, slammed the Justice Department for curbing freedom of speech.

Journalist Richard Medhurst said, “Just imagine Iran had seized the US websites such as CNN and BCC and the outrage it would have ensued. Where is the outrage now when the US shuts down 33 foreign news sites?” He slammed the American liberals and leftists for staying silent, despite freedom of speech being under attack. “When it comes to Imperialism, you really get to see their true colours and where they stand. What the US has done to Press TV and other outlets is outrageous… It’s an attack on the foreign press and foreign journalists,” Richard Medhurst concluded.

Long-term effects

Meanwhile, the US may not stand to gain much in the long term by blacklisting domains linked with Iran, especially as they will not be taken offline.

PressTV, for instance, switched to a .ir domain immediately after having its .com address seized. The same was true with Fars when its website was seized last year.

After Wednesday’s seizures, Iran’s ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi promised his ministry will provide the “necessary infrastructures” to the seized outlets.

The language US officials used in their announcement on the seizures suggests the Iranian outlets were also targeted for trying to influence the 2020 presidential elections, something ARTICLE19’s Alimardani finds strange.

“This in itself is a strange excuse for sanctioning these entities, given these outlets are considered ‘white propaganda’ outlets and not agents of ‘influence operations’,” she said.

She said while the US may have caused some inconvenience for the outlets, including by hurting their branding efforts and Google search results, its move was “shortsighted” as it lent support to their argument that the US is an imperial and bullying power.

“America further diminishes its standing and efforts as a promoter of ‘internet freedom’ with these efforts,” she said.

“While not directly kicking off innocent Iranian civilian users in this case, the move is indirectly pushing Iranian policy towards more nationalisation and promotion of .ir domains for websites hosted by ordinary Iranians.”

Sanctions expert Brian O’Toole told Al Jazeera the “terrorism” designation provides the US Department of Justice with legal grounds to take such actions.

“However, even if DOJ has grounds legally for seizing these Iranian websites, it’s hard to understand how this would be a deterrent in the future or have material impact to these news outlets,” said the former OFAC adviser who is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

“Instead, I worry that the action comes across as overly heavy-handed and will engender criticism of the United States for cracking down on ‘speech’, all while having little to no effect in thwarting terrorism [or electoral interference].”

References:

OpIndia