Elon Musk’s X Blocks Khamenei’s Account Following Supreme Leader’s Hebrew Message

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), suspended an account associated with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after posting a Hebrew message.

This action came on the heels of escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, notably after Israel launched strikes in response to a recent rocket barrage from Iran.

The suspended post, which included the phrase “In the name of God, the most merciful,” was shared on Sunday. While X stated that it suspends accounts for violating its rules, the specific violation was not detailed, and the platform has yet to respond to requests for clarification.

X on Monday blocked an account tied to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. KHAMENEI.IR/AFP via Getty Images

Khamenei addressed the situation in a speech, suggesting that Israel’s military actions “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed.” Meanwhile, another account linked to him shared a post in English that warned, “Zionists are making a miscalculation concerning Iran. They don’t know Iran.” He emphasised the strength and determination of the Iranian people, insisting that Israel has yet to grasp the reality of their resolve.

Khamenei, 85, has a history of using multiple accounts on social media to communicate in various languages. His past posts have sometimes sparked outrage. For instance, in 2018, the platform faced significant backlash for allowing a threatening tweet from Khamenei to remain online, where he referred to Israel as a “malignant cancerous tumour” that needed to be eradicated.

This statement drew sharp criticism from global leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, who labelled it as incitement to violence. Despite the outcry, Twitter at the time defended its decision, arguing that blocking a world leader would obscure important information that should be open for public debate.

X owner Elon Musk has promoted the social media giant as a free speech platform. REUTERS

In 2022, Twitter took down another account associated with Khamenei for sharing a video that depicted a drone strike targeting former President Donald Trump, although other accounts linked to him remained active. Earlier this year, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, suspended several accounts tied to Khamenei for repeated violations of its policies against dangerous individuals and organisations.

Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 and rebranded it as X, has positioned the platform as a champion of free speech. He has been vocal about criticising Twitter’s prior policies, particularly around controversial topics, including banning Trump after the January 6 Capitol riots and suppressing stories related to Hunter Biden’s laptop.