State Dept spokesman Ned Price says he does not have anything to say on the alleged US govt seizure of Iran Press TV website domain, but says he thinks the Department of Justice may have something to provide on that shortly
It has been almost two hours since @StateDept said @TheJusticeDept should be able to provide some info on this shortly, but they have not said anything, despite multiple inquiries. Baffling.
A CNN Justice Dept correspondent cites an unnamed US “national security official,” presumably from @TheJusticeDept, saying the US seized dozens of US website domains connected to Iran. cnn.com/2021/06/22/pol…
Does not seem some of the US government people involved in Iran policy were aware of this alleged action in advance. and the public affairs rollout seems something of a disaster.
AP DOJ reporter also says US involved. Impression is DOJ public affairs admitting it to DOJ bullpen reporters, but a lot of people in broader US govt Iran policy were out of the loop, and the decision/public comms on it in dispute
https://twitter.com/lrozen/status/1407430015478861831?s=21
five hours. still no public @TheJusticeDept explanation for the alleged action. embarrassing.
🧵Update: Justice Dept in press release says pursuant to court orders, US today “seized 33 websites used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU) and 3 websites operated by Kata’ib Hizballah (KH), in violation of U.S. sanctions. 
“…Thirty-three of the websites seized today were operated by IRTVU. The 33 domains are owned by a United States company. IRTVU did not obtain a license from OFAC prior to utilizing the domain names.”
“These website seizures were investigated by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI. The National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the seizure.”
the website seizures?
the website seizures?
this makes it sound like the seizures are being investigated. when it was the government that seized them.
“Asst. AG John Demers for DOJ Natl Sec. Division; Special Agent in Charge J.C. (Chris) Hacker, of FBI Atlanta Field Office; & Special Agent in Charge Ariel Joshua Leinwand, of the Bureau of Industry & Security, Office of Export Enforcement’s Atlanta Office, made the announcement”
(what announcement?)
Demers is retiring in a couple days. this seemed to come out of the atlanta offices of commerce/BIS and FBI.
Link to DOJ press release here. justice.gov/opa/pr/united-… But I noticed something strange. I get the DOJ press release emails. This did not get emailed til 9pm tonight. But looks from DOJ website like it was supposed to go out first this morning, and got held
and…via @RVAwonk, DOJ has now removed the press release from its website
earlier tonight (left); now, poof (right)
https://twitter.com/rvawonk/status/1407506251358027776?s=21
earlier tonight (left); now, poof (right)
link still works for me justice.gov/opa/pr/united-…, but it seems it was removed from DOJ press release front page (left, now), as @RVAwonk noted. was there before (right)
and it is back up.
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