In a blatant attack on free speech – the US government has shut down dozens of Iranian media websites under the claim that they are spreading disinformation.

The US Department of Justice has confirmed its campaign to silence other media voices. It told the international news agency Reuters that 33 websites run by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union were seized. However the attack extended to other sites linked to the resistance coalition in the Middle East. The affected media include Iran’s English news channel Press TV, Yemen’s al-Masirah TV and Bahrain’s Lualua television network.

Washington’s attack is not new. It has taken similar measures in the past.

Social media platforms have followed a similar approach to certain or alternative media voices by removing their pages.

The US and Iran have recently been locked in talks aimed at reinitialising the nuclear deal. The Trump administration pulled out of that deal.

[Picture: Radio 786]