Skip to content
February 8, 2023
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Telegram
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
  • Discord
Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond

Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond

From Venezuela and made by Venezuelan Chavistas

Primary Menu
  • News
  • Opinion
  • About us
    • About us
    • Who we are – Becoming a Volunteer
    • Editorial guidelines for contributors
    • Our Sources
      • Venezuelan Sources
      • International Sources
    • Contact us
  • Categories
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Security and Defense
    • International
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Europe
      • Oceania
      • US/Canada
    • Latin America and ALBA-TCP
      • South America
      • Central America and the Caribbean (+Mexico)
    • Ideology-Commune-Labor
    • Health-Education-Sport-Culture-Technology
    • Solidarity and Social Movements
    • OT Specials
  • Support Us
Light/Dark Button
YouTube Channel
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • US ‘Seizes’ Iranian and Other Regional News Sites, Cites ‘Disinformation’ and ‘National Security Threats’
  • Asia
  • International
  • Opinion

US ‘Seizes’ Iranian and Other Regional News Sites, Cites ‘Disinformation’ and ‘National Security Threats’

June 26, 2021

By Peoples Dispatch – Jun 23, 2021

The move has been criticized by activists as an attempt by the US government to censor unfavorable content, an attack on the freedom of the press, and a deliberate act of hostility.

On Tuesday, June 22, the US government “seized” several news websites, alleging their involvement in spreading “disinformation” and calling them a “threat to national security”. The seized websites include Iranian state-owned Press TV and its Arabic version Al-Alam, the Houthi controlled Al-Masirah TV, and Palestine Today, among others. The move has created global outrage with activists calling it an attempt to censor the press and detrimental to the ongoing talks in Vienna.

Visitors of Press TV and the other Iranian and regional websites can now see a notice which mentions the “seizure.” The notice cites certain US sanction laws and demonstrates the seals of the US Department of Justice and Department of Commerce.

In the absence of an official statement, there was speculation that these sites may have been “hacked.” However, AP quoted the US justice department as saying that the websites were taken down due to their “efforts to spread disinformation and sow discord among American voters ahead” of last year’s presidential elections.

RELATED CONTENT: Message on Websites of Iranian, Regional TVs Claims ‘Domain Seizure by US Govt.’

The US seizure has affected Press TV’s domain names .com and .net, which are owned by US companies. Press TV is available under the domain name .ir.

Several commentators have condemned the US move as an attempt to censor unfavorable content and termed it an assault on the freedom of press. Talking to Press TV, journalist Tim Anderson called the move a terrible blow to the integrity of a shared internet, saying that the US is acting as if it owns the internet. He also argued that this move shows that the US is disturbed by Iranian and other international media questioning the US propaganda in West Asia and other regions, and its wars in the region, leading to loss of its credibility.

Seizure of Iranian websites shows that Washington is deeply disturbed by the credibility of the Iranian media, says Tim Anderson. pic.twitter.com/CIV3e9e7vE

— Press TV (@PressTV) June 23, 2021

Some also see the move as a deliberate provocation and a U-turn in the Joe Biden administration’s commitment to make peace with Iran.

WTF??? US government SEIZES website of Iran’s Press TV, and 2 other media outlets—one Iranian and one belonging to the Houthis in Yemen. I thought Biden was trying to make peace with Iran??? https://t.co/MDdRW9JUDg pic.twitter.com/aLDsO0sVOW

— Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) June 22, 2021

Press TV, Iran’s state media agency, is an English news channel controlled by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and launched in 2007. Al-Alam, its Arabic and Farsi version, was established in 2003.

Al-Masirah, based in Beirut, Lebanon, issued a statement condemning the US seizure and said that the move is not surprising “as it comes from those that have supervised the most heinous crimes against our people.” It claimed that the “ban reveals once again, the falsehood of the slogans of freedom of expression and all the other headlines promoted by the United States of America, including its ability to confront the truth.”

STATEMENT BY #ALMASIRAH MEDIA NETWORK ON THE CLOSURE OF ITS WEBSITE BY THE US FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION:

"We in the Almasirah are not surprised by this decision, as it comes from those that have supervised the most heinous crimes against our people". pic.twitter.com/YFB1UGuRXj

— روني الدنماركي (@Aldanimarki) June 22, 2021

Biden continues Trump’s hostile policies towards Iran
This is not the first time that the US has attacked Iranian media. The previous Donald Trump administration in the US had seized over 100 domains in October 2020 claiming that they were used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for a “disinformation campaign.” Press TV, which has not issued any statement on the seizure yet, has in the past alleged recurring attacks by tech giants Google and Facebook on its YouTube channel and Facebook page citing vague “community standards.”

RELATED CONTENT: What Should we Expect from the New Government in Tehran?

The latest seizure has also led to growing concerns of escalation in hostilities between the US and Iran, particularly after the election of the new Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, who is considered a hardliner. It also goes against the promises made by the Biden administration immediately after coming to power to end the hostilities and go back to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the Iran nuclear deal signed in 2015.

The Trump administration had unilaterally withdrawn from the deal in 2018 and imposed sanctions against Iran leading to a deterioration in relations. The Biden administration has been participating in indirect negotiations in Vienna to find a way out of this stalemate created by Trump. Only last week, both the parties had claimed that a deal had been reached after six rounds of talks to lift the sanctions with Iran returning to compliance under the JCPOA provisions. Press TV reported on June 22 that despite the agreement, the US is reluctant to lift all sanctions against Iran.

 

 

Featured image: The notice of seizure on the website presstv.com. Photo: PressTV.

(Peoples Dispatch)

Want More?

Don't want to be a victim of the Algorithm?

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER WITH ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VENEZUELA

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Orinoco Tribune 2
+ posts
  • Orinoco Tribune 2
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/yullma/
    Advertisement of the Revolución Ciudadana party where a person holds a flag and in a strip at the bottom it reads : "return with more strength" and on the right side can be seen former president Rafael Correa smiling. File photo.
    February 7, 2023
    Ecuador: Correistas Declare Victory in Local Elections
  • Orinoco Tribune 2
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/yullma/
    A demonstrator stomps on the window of an NYPD car as people protest the death of Tyre Nichols on January 27, 2023 in New York City. Foto Michael M. Santiago/Getty images.
    February 7, 2023
    'Broken Windows Policing' Gave Rise to Scorpion Unit That Killed Tyre Nichols
  • Orinoco Tribune 2
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/yullma/
    Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a televised speech in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2021. Photo: Official Khamenei Website/Handout via Reuters atention/File Photo.
    February 7, 2023
    ‘Tens of Thousands’ of Prisoners Granted Amnesty in Iran
  • Orinoco Tribune 2
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/yullma/
    Venezuelan women demanded justice for femicides during last year's International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Photo: Andreína Chávez Alava.
    February 7, 2023
    Venezuela Urgently Needs a Feminist Emergency Plan
Tags: Al Alam television news network domain seizure of news websites Iran Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) media censorship Palestine Today press freedom PressTV us blockade US Imperialism US Sanctions Vienna Talks Yemen’s al-Masirah TV channel

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Continue Reading

Previous Previous post:

Why is Cuba’s Vaccine Named ‘Abdala’?

Next Next post:

Peru: Scandal Involves Montesinos in Keiko Fujimori Maneuver

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

We keep your data private and share your data only with third parties that make this service possible. Read our Privacy Policy.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

NEWS: Most Viewed 72 Hours

Calendar

February 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728  
« Jan    

Categories

OPINION: Most Viewed 72 hours

We are on Telegram


Receive our news directly in your cellphone or PC, join us on our TELEGRAM channel: https://t.me/OrinocoTribune1

 

Download TELEGRAM, click the link above and then press the JOIN button.

We are on Discord


Now we are also on Discord you will be able to follow our every move and interact with our team.

Join us by clicking here



All our work is free to use and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.

We are on Reddit

If you are more into REDDIT, join our Orinoco Tribune Community.

 

Just click below and then click JOIN
https://www.reddit.com/r/OrinocoTribune/

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Telegram
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
  • Discord
Copyleft, No rights reserved.