You'll be pleased to know, you're not the only one. The ITSO, which oversees Intelsat, is convening a meeting to consider a complaint by Iran.
Here's the news release:
The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) has been informed by the Islamic Republic of Iran of its belief that certain measures undertaken by the United States have had the effect of banning the provision of any satellite broadcasting services to Iran by Intelsat, thereby constituting violations of applicable international regulations and of the United States’ treaty obligations under the ITSO Agreement. Specifically, Iran has claimed that Intelsat’s discontinuance of service to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) as of 30 June 2013 is contrary to the Core Principles contained in Article III of the ITSO Agreement and to the Rights and Obligations of the Parties under Article XI (c) of the ITSO Agreement. Iran has requested that ITSO take proper measures to ensure that Intelsat continues to provide international telecommunications services consistent with the requirements of the ITSO Agreement and to prevent the U.S. Government from failing to honor its obligations and commitments under the ITSO Agreement.
Intelsat’s discontinuance of service to IRIB is the result of provisions contained in the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA), which was signed into law by President Obama on 2 January 2013. Specifically, the NDAA identified the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting as having contributed to the infringement of individuals’ human rights by broadcasting forced television confession and show trials, and also referenced sanctions imposed by the European Council on the President of IRIB for similar actions. As a result of these findings, the United States has imposed various sanctions on IRIB and its President, including
their placement on a list of specifically designated nationals maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of Treasury. While the U.S. Treasury Department had issued a license to Intelsat allowing Intelsat to continue providing services to IRIB through 30 June 2013, Intelsat was advised that the license would not be extended beyond that date.
Since the enactment of the NDAA, ITSO has closely monitored the situation and in fact contacted the United States about its possible implications. ITSO has subsequently been advised by the United States that it does not believe that any actions on its part are contrary to its obligations under the ITSO Agreement. The United States has stated that the ban did not apply to any particular country, such as Iran, but rather applied only to an individual company, IRIB, and on that basis, there had been no violation of the ITSO Agreement.
In response to a request from Iran to convene a meeting as soon as possible with the representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States as Parties to ITSO, and Intelsat, to discuss the matter, ITSO has taken steps to convene such a meeting on 11 July 2013 to discuss the matter further.
Should the efforts undertaken by the Director General to seek a settlement of this dispute prove unsuccessful, the Parties can avail themselves of the specific procedures for the settlement of disputes set forth in Article XVI (Settlement of Disputes) of the ITSO Agreement and Annex A (Provisions on Procedures Relating to Settlement of Disputes). Additionally, under certain circumstances, an extraordinary Assembly of Parties may be convened under Article IX (e) of the ITSO Agreement to consider this dispute.
