The US Seized three dozen websites used for Iranian disinformation: What you need to know

Picture Courtesy: Middle East Eye

1. US Justice Department has seized more than 33 Iranian Government-affiliated media websites, as well as three of the Iraqi group Kataeb Hezbollah.

2. The websites were held by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU) which is reportedly run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp's Quds Force (IRGC)

3. The US Government also took over the domain name of the news website Palestine Today, which reflects the viewpoints of Gaza-based Hamas and Islamic groups.

4. The Justice Department in a statement said that these websites were targeting the US with disinformation campaigns and malign influence operations.

5. Iran's Foreign Ministry said the act is an example of a systematic effort to distort the freedom of speech at the global level and silence independent voices in media.

6. On visiting Iranian media sites such as Press TV, Al-Alam, and Al-Masirah TV channel of Yemen's Houthis, one page shows up with a warning "the website has been seized by United State's Government accompanied with the seals o FBI and US Commerce Department.

7. Last year The Department of Justice announced that it had taken down 100 websites involved in circulating disinformation against the US and push Iranian propaganda around the world.