Iran's New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Obtains Verified X Account, Drawing US Condemnation

Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has unexpectedly appeared on the social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, with a verified account.

Khamenei’s account, @Rahbarenghelab_, carries a blue verification badge. On 12 March local time, Khamenei posted messages regarding the conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran.

“Honourable freedom-fighting brothers! The will of the people is the continuation of effective and impactful defence. Furthermore, the impact of the Strait of Hormuz blockade must certainly continue to be utilised,” Khamenei wrote in a post to over 44,000 followers on X. All posts have been translated by X from Persian.

“I assure everyone that we will not overlook retaliation for the blood of your martyrs,” he wrote in another post.

Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Khamenei called on neighbouring Middle Eastern countries to clarify their positions and urged nations hosting US military bases to close those facilities.

Khamenei was selected as Iran’s new Supreme Leader earlier this week, succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a fierce US-Israeli attack on 28 February 2026.

Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), has condemned the fact that Mojtaba Khamenei was permitted to hold an X account. In February 2026, TTP released a report revealing that numerous X accounts belonging to Iranian officials, institutions and state-controlled media held blue verification badges, indicating they were subscribers to X’s premium service.

“Over the last three years, the Tech Transparency Project has repeatedly highlighted how X has profited from providing premium subscriptions to entities subject to US sanctions. Many of these are linked to terrorism and appear to violate US sanctions law,” Paul told CNBC in an email.

“This is now happening again with a sanctioned nation’s leader involved in conflict with the US,” she added.

Musk’s space rocket company SpaceX, which oversees X and xAI, has not immediately responded to requests for comment regarding Khamenei’s new account. The account carries a blue badge indicating it is a premium subscriber.