Mojtaba Khamenei's X Account with Blue Tick Reappears, Flooded with Followers
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is reported to have a paid blue tick account on social media platform X. The premium account is visible on an English-language profile with approximately 175,000 followers.
The account is located in Iran. Khamenei’s account was created in March this year.
A CNBC International report notes that the account has been used to post about the recent conflicts between Iran and the United States (US) and Israel. The account remains active to date.
This premium account ownership comes after the blue tick was removed from other Persian-language accounts.
This report emerges as Khamenei’s name has been on the OFAC sanctions list of the US Department of the Treasury since 2019. This means US citizens and entities are prohibited from dealing with individuals on that list.
X’s policy also prohibits purchasing X Premium to obtain a blue tick if the person is barred from transacting under US economic sanctions and applicable trade laws of other countries.
For information, the blue tick can be granted for free by X. This is done for certain figures, including government officials.
The other option is to subscribe to X Premium or Premium+ to get the blue tick. Subscribers receive benefits such as posting longer text and videos, as well as sharing advertising revenue.
Previously, on 12 February 2024, the Tech Transparency Project (TPP) reported findings of X accounts in the name of Iranian government officials, institutions, and media that have blue ticks. This refers to subscriptions to X’s premium service.
TPP highlighted that X is violating US economic sanctions by generating revenue from these Iranian individuals and groups.
“Because X requires payment for premium services, the company is likely receiving revenue from Iranian individuals and groups, which could violate US economic sanctions,” said TPP.
SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket launch and space technology company, did not respond to requests for comment. SpaceX is now the owner of the social media company X and the AI company xAI, also led by Musk.
In a statement to CNBC International, the US Department of the Treasury said allegations of violations by Elon Musk’s companies would be taken seriously.