On Monday, the social platform X, formerly Twitter, suspended a newly created account linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The account, launched just a day prior, had posted messages in Hebrew, including an opening message reading, “In the name of God, the most merciful,” a common Islamic greeting.
A brief statement on the suspended account noted: “X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules,” though specific details on the nature of the violation were not provided.
Representatives of X, now owned by Elon Musk, did not immediately respond to requests for clarification from The Associated Press.
The suspension followed heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, marked by a significant escalation over the weekend. Israeli forces openly targeted Iran after a recent Iranian ballistic missile attack.
In response, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed the situation during a speech on Sunday, cautioning that Israel’s strikes should not be “exaggerated nor downplayed.” While stopping short of calling for retaliation, the speech nevertheless contained strong language.
Khamenei’s English-language X account posted a message corresponding to the speech: “Zionists are making a miscalculation with respect to Iran. They don’t know Iran. They still haven’t been able to correctly understand the power, initiative, and determination of the Iranian people.”
This isn’t the first time social media platforms have suspended or removed accounts associated with Khamenei.
In February, Meta removed Khamenei’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram following his expressed support for Hamas after its October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
Though Khamenei’s office manages several accounts on X in multiple languages, access to the platform in Iran remains restricted, with most Iranians relying on VPNs to circumvent government-imposed blocks on social media platforms like X and Facebook.
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