X yanks blue checkmark from Iran’s sanctioned – Business News
X has eliminated a blue checkmark from the account of Iran’s new supreme chief, who appeared to have paid for the perk in spite of US sanctions in opposition to him.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of slain chief Ali Khamenei, launched an English-language X account that had about 175,000 followers as of Tuesday afternoon.
Earlier within the day, the English account displayed a the blue checkmark indicating that a subscription for X Premium had been paid for. That’s regardless of X’s own coverage barring sanctioned people like Khamenei from shopping for premium accounts.
Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme chief, seems to have an X Premium account regardless of being beneath US sanctions since 2019. X.MKhamenei_irl
The image was passed by about midday Eastern Time — after The Post sought remark from X.
Khamenei, 56, is believed to be alive however injured following the late-February strikes that killed his father, with intelligence assessments suggesting he has not appeared in public and might not be exercising full control over Iran’s management.
While Iranian officers insist he’s “stable,” the shortage of verified appearances has fueled hypothesis about his situation, with some studies suggesting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is successfully steering decision-making as questions linger over his health.
A premium X account can unlock revenue-generating options — together with ad-sharing payouts, paid subscriptions and ideas — raising the prospect that Khamenei might have been in a position to revenue from his account.
Along with sanctioned people, X’s monetization guidelines explicitly bar customers in Iran from cashing in on the platform. Under the company’s Creator Revenue Sharing phrases, people “located in, or a citizen of, or ordinarily resident in” Iran can not take part within the payout program. People in North Korea, Syria and Russian-occupied Crimea in Ukraine are additionally blocked beneath the company’s coverage.
Khamenei’s X posts have struck a hardline, bellicose tone — praising Iran’s “Resistance Front,” vowing retaliation in opposition to enemies and urging continued assaults on US forces and allies within the area. He repeatedly framed the battle as a spiritual and national obligation, calling for unity at home whereas warning that Iran will “take” compensation from its enemies or “destroy” their property.
X proprietor Elon Musk faces recent scrutiny after Iran’s sanctioned chief appeared to secure a blue checkmark on the platform. REUTERS
Several posts additionally referenced escalating strain factors — together with threats tied to the Strait of Hormuz and US bases — whereas mixing militant rhetoric with spiritual tributes to his slain father and revolutionary leaders.
“The leverage of closing the Strait of Hormuz must definitely continue to be employed,” one of the posts on Khamenei’s account learn
Khamenei’s X account was created in March and its administrator is predicated in Iran.
The ruler has been on the Treasury Department’s sanctions blacklist since 2019 — deemed a “Specially Designated National,” which means US firms are broadly barred from doing business with him.
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He took energy earlier this month after Iran’s influential Assembly of Experts, a clerical physique made up of senior Islamic students, swiftly elevated him to supreme chief within the center of a widening regional warfare.
His ascent got here simply days after his father, longtime ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a US strike on Feb. 28 — triggering a sudden management vacuum on the prime of the Islamic Republic.
Iran briefly put in an interim management construction as officers scrambled to stabilize the regime earlier than clerics moved shortly to formalize Mojtaba’s grip on energy.
Khamenei — long seen as a behind-the-scenes energy broker with deep ties to Iran’s security institution — emerged because the frontrunner, signaling continuity of the regime’s hardline rule even because the nation faces mounting exterior strain.
Mojtaba Khamenei took energy earlier this month — and now seems to carry a blue-check X account barred for sanctioned customers. by way of REUTERS
Watchdogs have repeatedly recognized X Premium accounts tied to US-sanctioned extremists — together with figures linked to Hezbollah, Hamas-aligned media shops and Iran-backed militia teams.
Last month, the Tech Transparency Project discovered over two dozen X accounts allegedly run by Iranian sources together with authorities officers with blue checkmarks. Symbols from some accounts have been eliminated after online information website Wired made inquiries.
In a 2025 report, researchers discovered accounts tied to Houthi leaders in Yemen and Iraqi militia commanders — teams accused of finishing up assaults on US forces — displaying blue checkmarks and utilizing premium options like long-form video and prolonged posts.
Earlier findings additionally flagged accounts related to al-Qaida-linked operatives and Hezbollah financiers that seemed to be “ID verified,” which means the platform confirmed their identities via government-issued paperwork.
People in Baghdad carry the posters of Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28. Anadolu by way of Getty Images
Some of the sanctioned accounts went even additional — tapping monetization instruments reminiscent of subscription options and ideas, raising the prospect that extremists might generate income immediately from the platform.
The Tech Transparency Project has documented a sample wherein X removes verification badges after scrutiny — just for some accounts to later reappear or regain premium standing, underscoring what critics say is inconsistent enforcement of its own guidelines.
Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, warned that the difficulty goes far past a easy coverage lapse.
“The fact that X has continued to allow sanctioned individuals to pay for premium subscription benefits is not just a potential violation of US Treasury sanctions, it’s a national security issue,” Paul informed The Post.
She famous that Mojtaba Khamenei is not only any sanctioned determine — however the chief of a nation at the moment locked in battle with the US.
She additionally pointed to broader considerations tied to Elon Musk’s business empire, noting that X’s dad or mum company has US authorities ties.
“Concerningly, Elon Musk’s xAI, which acquired X in 2025, has a defense contract with the Pentagon, raising further concerns about sanctions violations from a company that is engaged with US government contracts,” she stated.
