X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, suspended a new Hebrew-language account associated with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday, amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel. The account, which appeared briefly on Sunday, was suspended by early Monday with a notification stating: "X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules." The specific violation was not detailed, and X did not respond to The Associated Press' request for comment.
The suspension comes in the wake of Israel's first direct strike on Iranian territory this weekend. In response to the Israeli action, which followed Iran's earlier ballistic missile attack, Khamenei delivered a measured statement on Sunday, saying the strikes "should not be exaggerated nor downplayed," while not calling for immediate retaliation. Before its suspension, the account posted its inaugural message in Hebrew, stating: "In the name of God, the most merciful," a traditional Islamic greeting as well as a threat to Israel saying, "The Zionist regime made a mistake, and miscalculated regarding Iran. We will make them understand what power, capability, initiative, and will the Iranian nation has.'" The 85-year-old supreme leader's office has historically maintained multiple X accounts in various languages.
This isn't Khamenei's first encounter with social media restrictions. In February, Meta removed his Facebook and Instagram accounts following his expressions of support for Hamas after its October 7 attack on Israel. Iranian citizens are generally unable to access platforms like X and Facebook without using virtual private networks, as these platforms remain blocked within the country.
In related developments, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that his country will respond "appropriately" to what he termed Israeli aggression. Speaking on state TV, Pezeshkian said, "We are not seeking war, but we will defend the rights of our nation and country." *Iran has reported one civilian casualty from the Israeli strike. The state-run IRNA news agency identified the victim as Allahverdi Rahimpour, a resident of southwestern Tehran, emphasizing he was not affiliated with the armed forces.
