Iraqi regulators have suspended the license of the Saudi-owned MBC Media Group and are working to end its operations in Iraq, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
After the channel aired a report calling former Hamas, and Hezbollah leaders, as well as Iran’s Quds Force, the “faces of terrorism,” the Iraqi officials decided the television channel’s license was to be revoked.
The suspension was announced by the Iraqi Communication and Media Commission on Saturday, just one day after supporters of Iranian-linked armed groups vandalized MBC's Baghdad offices, chanting, “No, no Al-Saud,” while filming themselves damaging equipment and smashing computers.
The MBC report called Yahya Sinwar, Qassem Suleimani, and Hassan Nasrallah terrorists, all three are considered as such by the US. However, Saudi Arabia’s Media Regulatory Authority stated that the report “violated its media policy” and is considering legal actions regarding this violation.
The NYT noted that MBC representatives did not respond to requests for comment, and the report seems to have been taken down.
Suspends MBC license amid vandalism
Iraq's government, which is mostly made up of parties reportedly linked to Iran, sees the individuals mentioned in the report as heroes and “martyrs,” the NYT further noted.
The Communications and Media Commission in Iraq had stressed its duty to “deter violators of national values and public morals,” saying that MBC had repeatedly broken the rules “in its assaults on the martyrs.”
Even with the government’s ties to Iran, the NYT noted, Iraq's diverse population includes many who are uncomfortable with Iranian influence. Farouk Hanna, chairman of Parliament's Culture, Media, and Antiquities Committee, did not oppose the suspension but criticized the mob's actions, stating, “It’s an unjustified act. There are legal ways to protest, not by burning and breaking things.”
Interior Ministry spokesman Muqdad Meri said the ministry would look into why the Interior Forces sent to stop the incident could not protect the station but did not promise to investigate those responsible for the vandalism. MBC, formerly known as the Middle East Broadcasting Center, has faced controversy in Iraq before for its portrayal of figures close to Iran.