Trump Administration ramps up pressure on Iran ahead of U.S. election

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of the ongoing U.S. effort to sanction Iran over its nuclear program, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it has confiscated 92 Iranian propaganda websites, including four news sites operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In a statement, the Department of Justice explained that the IRGC, through these sites, aimed to influence the internal and foreign policy of the United States and explained that these sites were identified in cooperation with Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

The other 88 sites include news sites aimed at spreading Iranian propaganda in Western Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division John Demers, quoted in the statement,  said that the department will continue to use all available tools to prevent Iran from using U.S. companies or social networks to spread propaganda and attempt to influence the American public and spread discord.

According to Reuters, the U.S. is preparing to impose new sanctions on the Iranian financial sector on Thursday.

The move would effectively shut Iran out of the global financial sector.

In September, the U.S. government arrested two Iranian cyber spies accused of stealing U.S. intelligence information and selling it on the digital black market.

U.S. representatives stated that Hooman Heidarian and Mehdi Farhadi were arrested on charges of carrying out hacking operations against the digital infrastructure of the U.S. government, foreign universities, and non-profit organizations.

The Department of Justice announced in a statement that the cyber criminals stole large quantities of data, including national security, aviation, and space data, unannounced scientific research, and peaceful nuclear information. The statement went on to say the criminals sold that information on the digital black market.