X yanks blue checkmark from Iran’s sanctioned Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei | Latest Tech 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 against 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 in the day, the English account displayed a the blue checkmark indicating that a subscription for X Premium had been paid for. That’s despite 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 despite being under US sanctions since 2019. X.MKhamenei_irl
The image was gone by about midday Eastern Time — after The Post sought remark from X.
Khamenei, 56, is believed to be alive but 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 dearth of verified appearances has fueled hypothesis about his condition, with some experiences 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 — including ad-sharing payouts, paid subscriptions and ideas — raising the prospect that Khamenei might have been ready 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’t take part in the payout program. People in North Korea, Syria and Russian-occupied Crimea in Ukraine are also blocked under the company’s coverage.
Khamenei’s X posts have struck a hardline, bellicose tone — praising Iran’s “Resistance Front,” vowing retaliation against enemies and urging continued assaults on US forces and allies in the area. He repeatedly framed the battle as a non secular and national responsibility, calling for unity at home while 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 also referenced escalating strain factors — including threats tied to the Strait of Hormuz and US bases — while mixing militant rhetoric with non secular 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 read
Khamenei’s X account was created in March and its administrator is based 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.
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 in the center of a widening regional conflict.
His ascent got here just days after his father, longtime ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a US strike on Feb. 28 — triggering a sudden management vacuum at the top of the Islamic Republic.
Iran briefly put in an interim management construction as officers scrambled to stabilize the regime before 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 as the frontrunner, signaling continuity of the regime’s hardline rule even as the nation faces mounting exterior strain.
Mojtaba Khamenei took energy earlier this month — and now seems to maintain a blue-check X account barred for sanctioned customers. via REUTERS
Watchdogs have repeatedly recognized X Premium accounts tied to US-sanctioned extremists — including 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 including authorities officers with blue checkmarks. Symbols from some accounts have been eliminated after online news web site 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 also flagged accounts linked to al-Qaida-linked operatives and Hezbollah financiers that appeared to be “ID verified,” which means the platform confirmed their identities through government-issued paperwork.
People in Baghdad carry the posters of Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28. Anadolu via Getty Images
Some of the sanctioned accounts went even additional — tapping monetization instruments such as subscription options and ideas, raising the prospect that extremists might generate income instantly from the platform.
The Tech Transparency Project has documented a sample in which X removes verification badges after scrutiny — only 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 issue goes far past a simple 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 told The Post.
She famous that Mojtaba Khamenei shouldn’t be just any sanctioned determine — but the chief of a nation at the moment locked in battle with the US.
She also pointed to broader issues 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 said.
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