US authorities take down websites of multiple Iran-linked media outlets amid tension

The United States authorities have reportedly taken down a range of websites of Iran’s international media outlets. As per local reports, the banned media organisations include Press TV, Al-Alam, along with the Yemeni TV channel Al Masirah, an Iraqi Shia satellite channel, and others.  

Iranian Press websites seized 

The US authorities have reportedly seized roughly three dozen websites. Among them, most of the websites were reportedly linked to the Iranian press. Iranian state-run news agency IRNA announced the US government seizures of the websites, without providing further information, reported RT.com. On June 22, the websites of some sites, including Iran state television’s English-language Press TV, Yemeni Houthi-run Al-Masirah satellite news channel and Iranian state TV’s Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam, produced a federal notice, reported RT.com. It said the websites were seized "as part of law enforcement action" by the US Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Biden administration and Iranian authorities have not made a statement over the seizure. In a statement released on Twitter, Al Masirah said it was "not surprised" by the decision of US authorities. They further mentioned that the ban on the media "comes from those that have supervised the most heinous crimes against our public". The decision of US authorities comes after Iran’s president-elect Ebrahim Raisi said that he’s not willing to meet US President Joe Biden. He said that he is not willing to negotiate over Tehran’s ballistic missile program. 

Raisi says 'No' to meeting with Joe Biden 

The Iranian Judiciary chief in a press conference after winning the elections stressed that the United States violated the 2015 nuclear agreement JCPOA, as he asked Joe Biden to return to the nuclear pact, adding that the US is "obliged" to lift all oppressive sanctions. After this statement of Raisi, the White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that US President Joe Biden has no plans to meet with the newly elected Iranian leaders as the US currently has no diplomatic relations with Iran and not much has changed on that front. Further, she noted that the key decision-maker of Tehran despite the election of the new President Ebrahim Raisi will and still remains Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "President’s view and our view is that the decision-maker is the Supreme Leader. That was the case before the election; is the case today; will be the case, probably, moving forward,” Psaki said.