The United States said on Wednesday it had sanctioned Iran’s main agency in charge of broadcasting for helping the government censor Western reports, part of a broader effort by Washington to pressure Tehran’s nuclear program.
The Treasury Department also said sanctions that shackle Iran’s oil earnings took effect, as scheduled, on Wednesday. Iran’s earnings now have to be credited to accounts in countries that buy Iranian crude.
Under the conditions, Tehran can only use the funds to buy goods from its oil customers, preventing the money from being repatriated and used on the nuclear program the West believes is developing weapons.
Iran says the program is for purely civilian purposes.
“This will significantly restrict Iran’s ability to make use of the oil revenue that it’s earning,” a senior U.S. official told reporters about the sanctions.
In its crackdown on Iran’s state-sponsored media, the Treasury named the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, its director, Ezzatollah Zarghami, and others as subject to sanctions that effectively block their access to the U.S. financial system.
Human rights groups have said Iran is using state media reports to trample dissent, and have pointed to forced confessions of political detainees in front of state media outlets.
Iran is using social media to hunt down political activists and is engaged in a campaign to filter out unwanted television content, the senior U.S. official said.
After Iran’s 2009 presidential election, the government increased its jamming of foreign channels, including the BBC and Voice of America, the Treasury said.
Reuters
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