Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Hezbollah Says Block on Iranian, Lebanese, Yemeni Sites ‘Exposes Falsehood’ of US Free Speech Claims

Hezbollah Says Block on Iranian, Lebanese, Yemeni Sites ‘Exposes Falsehood’ of US Free Speech Claims

The Justice Department seized dozens of Middle Eastern domains this week, chief among them the .com domain of Press TV, a foreign language news service owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. Iran slammed the decision and warned it was “not constructive” for the ongoing nuclear talks.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has lashed out at the United States government over Tuesday’s seizure of Iranian, Lebanese, Yemeni, and Palestinian news resources on Friday, suggesting that the move was very revealing when it comes to US claims about its support for freedom of speech and freedom of thought.

“The secretary-general stressed that it is necessary to condemn the US administration’s move to delete dozens of websites from countries of the region, saying it was no coincidence that these sites showed solidarity with the Palestinian people in the battle of the ‘Sword of Jerusalem’,” Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese news site al-Manar reported, paraphrasing Nasrallah’s remarks in a televised speech. "Sword of Jerusalem" is the Palestinian term for last month’s fighting between Hamas and the Israeli military, which left several hundred dead and much of Gaza destroyed.

“Nasrallah considers this matter to provide additional evidence about the false claims of successive US administrations and their slogans about freedom of speech and freedom of belief,” the report added.

Nasrallah was also said to have reiterated his earlier willingness to negotiate with Iran – an ideological ally and partner to Hezbollah, to send fuel to Lebanon if necessary to help the country resolve fuel shortages amid the broader political and economic crisis facing the nation.

DOJ Seizes ‘Threatening’ Websites


The Justice Department seized three dozen domains from the Middle East on Tuesday, including the .com domain of Press TV and the .net domain of al-Alam, an Iranian-owned Arabic-language broadcaster, in a “law enforcement action,” citing the sites’ violations of US laws and laws related to “unusual or extraordinary threat activity.”

Al-Masriah, a website affiliated with Yemen’s Houthis, with Palestine Today, a pro-Hamas site, were also seized. Meanwhile, Kata’ib Hezbollah, the Iraqi pro-Baghdad government Shiite paramilitary group which Washington has spuriously blamed for a number of attacks on US troops in Iraq, saw three of its websites seized.

Press TV officials blasted the seizures, with senior channel figure Ahmad Ali-Akbari telling Sputnik that they demonstrated that Washington's rhetoric on free speech is nothing but a “tissue of lies,” and that America had shown itself to have “turned into the biggest enemy of freedom of expression, and possibly the biggest violator of human rights.”

The official also recalled that this week’s seizure was not the first time that Press TV had been targeted by the US and its Big Tech allies – with previous pressure including the termination of its YouTube account, and actions against its Facebook and Twitter pages.

Before Tuesday’s action, the DoJ had previously seized 92 other domains which it claimed were “unlawfully used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to engage in a global disinformation campaign.”

The latest seizures came just days after Iran’s presidential elections, which conservative chief jurist Ebrahim Raisi handily won, and amid the ongoing negotiations on the restoration of the Iran nuclear deal. Presidential spokesman Mahmoud Vaezi condemned the DoJ’s actions, calling them a “mistaken policy” that’s “not constructive” for nuclear negotiations.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×