A government news agency in Iran reported that the accounts of the Arabic news network Al-Alam on various social media platforms, including Instagram, X, and YouTube, have been blocked. Al-Alam is a 24-hour news network owned by the Islamic Republic, headquartered in Tehran, with branches in Beirut, Baghdad, and Damascus. The government news agency Borna reported on Tuesday, March 6, that Meta blocked Al-Alam's Instagram page 'without any warning' due to a photo it published 'about three years ago' of Imad Mughniyeh. According to the report, 'special pages for news about Syria and Yemen' related to Al-Alam were also deleted on Facebook, and a few months ago, 'the main page of Al-Alam on Facebook had been restricted.' About a month ago, Meta deleted the English and Persian accounts of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, on Instagram. This action was welcomed by some Iranian users on social media, and some on X also requested that, like Meta, Khamenei's accounts be blocked. Following this, the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, announced that X had permanently blocked the account of this government media outlet. While officials and media of the Islamic Republic have active accounts on various social media platforms, these same social media platforms are filtered inside Iran, and their use is prohibited for ordinary people. The Supreme Council of Cyberspace of the Islamic Republic declared the use of VPNs in Iran 'illegal' in a resolution earlier in March.
Accounts of 'Al-Alam' Blocked on Several Social Media Platforms; Government Media: Due to the Publication of a Photo of Imad Mughniyeh
The Iranian government media outlet Al-Alam has had its social media accounts blocked due to a past post featuring Imad Mughniyeh. This follows the recent deletion of accounts belonging to Ali Khamenei on Instagram. The situation highlights ongoing censorship and the contrasting access to social media for officials versus ordinary citizens in Iran.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
The accounts of the Iranian news network Al-Alam were blocked on multiple social media platforms due to a post featuring Imad Mughniyeh. This follows a pattern of increased censorship against Iranian state media and officials on social media.
- Al-Alam's Instagram account was blocked without warning for a three-year-old photo of Imad Mughniyeh.
- This incident follows the deletion of accounts belonging to Ali Khamenei on Instagram.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Iranian state media often face censorship on international platforms, while the government restricts access to these platforms for its citizens. This reflects the regime's efforts to control information flow.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%