Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): The United States of America seized the website domain of the Bahraini opposition satellite channel, Lualua TV, as part of a widespread campaign that targeted 33 websites of Arab and Islamic news channels.

Lualua confirmed this in a tweet on its Twitter page, saying: "The US administration illegally seized the website of Lulua satellite channel and a number of websites affiliated with the Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU)."

The sites seized also included Masirah TV, which is run by Yemen's Houthi Ansar Allah movement, Saudi opposition Nabaa TV, Iranian Al Alam TV and English-language satellite television channel Press TV, as well as Iraqi Al Forat and Karbala TV channels.

The US Justice Department said in a statement on Tuesday (June 22, 2021) that 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).

IRTVU was designated for sanctions last year for "brazen attempts to sow discord among the voting populace by spreading disinformation online and executing malign influence operations aimed at misleading U.S. voters," the US Justice Department said.

"IRTVU and others like it, disguised as news organizations or media outlets, targeted the United States with disinformation campaigns and malign influence operations," the department alleged in a statement.

The Justice Department further noted the 33 domains targeted by the seizure on June 22 are owned by a US company and IRTVU did not obtain a license from OFAC prior to using the domain names, claiming it's a violation of US sanctions.

Arabic Version