US seizes internet domains tied to Iran’s government
WASHINGTON — More than 30 web domains linked to the Iranian regime were seized by U.S. agencies on Tuesday, a U.S. government official said.
The U.S. seized sites operated by government-run PressTV as
well as social media channels affiliated with Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The
seizures come as the Biden administration is in the midst of negotiations over
Tehran’s nuclear program and follow the election of a new president who has
rebuffed calls from Washington to curb its support for proxies fighting across
the region.
Visitors to the affected websites were greeted with a banner
that said the domains had been seized by the U.S. government as part of
enforcement action taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S.
Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations didn’t immediately
respond to a request for comment, but Tehran’s government has condemned
previous seizures of Iranian websites as unlawful and part of an influence
campaign against Iran.
The seizure notice cites several legal justifications for
the action, including civil and criminal forfeiture laws, as well as the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which grants the president the
power to regulate international commerce in response to threats to U.S.
security.
In the past year, the Justice Department has seized scores
of websites linked to the regime, including in October when the U.S. seized
internet domain names used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite
military unit designated by the U.S. as a terror group for its role in managing
Iran’s foreign proxies. Among the proxy websites targeted by the U.S. last year
and again on Tuesday: the Iraq-based militia Kata’ib Hezbollah.
The U.S. is able to seize the sites because they use
internet infrastructure either in the U.S. or owned by U.S.-based firms. The
Commerce Department is involved in the operations because its Bureau of
Industry and Security division is responsible for export controls.
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