Information Warfare Escalates as U.S. Seizes and Terminates 92 Iranian News Sites: Russia’s RT or China’s CGTN Next to Get Hit?

The U.S. has escalated information warfare efforts against Iran, taking the unprecedented step of seizing 92 news sites operated from the country which were spreading narratives contrary to Western interests. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the seizure of 92 web domains on October 8th, under the pretext that they were spreading disinformation. These sites were used by and catered to audiences in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Western Europe and the United States itself. Iranian operated domains such as “newsstand7.com,” “usjournal.net,” “usjournal.us” and “twtoday.net” now display a message that they’ve been seized by the FBI. “Fake news organisations have become a new outlet for disinformation spread by authoritarian countries as they continue to try to undermine our democracy,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers stated. “Today’s actions show that we can use a variety of laws to vindicate the value of transparency.” 

The U.S. and its Western allies have notably accused a number of states outside the Western sphere of influence, most notably China and Russia but also North Korea, Venezuela and others, of spreading disinformation by purporting political and historical narratives contrary to Western interests through various news sites. American actions to directly seize and shut down Iranian news sites, therefore, can potentially set a precedent under which the U.S. will attempt to shut down all major news sites operated by countries with political stances contrary to those of the Western world. Notable future targets could include Russia’s RT, China’s CGTN, North Korea’s DPRK Today or Venezuela’s Telesur. It is expected that information warfare efforts will only be further escalated in the coming years as the U.S. seeks to place greater pressure on its adversaries.