While the Islamic Republic has blocked access to Facebook for years and to Instagram since 2022, Hossein Amirabdollahian described Meta's action to block Khamenei's pages as illegal. The Iranian Foreign Minister, in an interview with Middle East Eye, called the removal and blocking of Ali Khamenei's pages on Instagram and Facebook a 'violation of freedom of expression, insulting, unethical, and illegal,' stating, 'This decision by Meta reflects the collapse of morality and the degradation of the moral system in the world.' He added, without mentioning the extensive filtering of many messaging apps and applications approved by Khamenei in Iran, that Meta's action in blocking Khamenei's pages on Instagram and Facebook is 'not only a violation of freedom of expression but also an insult to millions of followers of his positions and news worldwide.' The Iranian Foreign Minister also deemed Western slogans of freedom of expression as 'hollow, performative, and a cover for illegitimate political goals,' claiming, 'Meta's action is part of a broader campaign by American social media networks to censor the voices of supporters of Palestine, as Ayatollah Khamenei is the most prominent supporter of the oppressed people of Palestine and Gaza in the world, and the Silicon Valley empire wants to prevent this voice from reaching global public opinion.' On February 8, Meta deleted Khamenei's English and Persian accounts on Instagram and Facebook. A Meta spokesperson told Middle East Eye, 'We removed these accounts due to repeated violations of our policies regarding dangerous organizations and individuals.' The removal of these accounts, which had long been called for by Iranian users on social media, was met with widespread approval from the public, who also urged Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), to delete the accounts belonging to the Iranian leader. While Iranian officials and supporters of the regime express anger and sadness over the removal of Khamenei's pages on social media, the Supreme Leader has repeatedly called for action against the virtual space in his speeches. Currently, in addition to Facebook and Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, X (Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok are blocked in Iran, and access to them is only possible with a VPN. However, the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, which makes decisions under Khamenei's supervision, declared the use of VPNs illegal in Iran on March 1 this year.
Iran's Protest Against Meta's Blocking of Khamenei's Pages; Amirabdollahian: Violation of Freedom of Expression
The Iranian government has condemned Meta's decision to block the social media accounts of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, labeling it a violation of free speech. This comes despite the regime's own long-standing restrictions on social media access for Iranian citizens. The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between the Iranian government and Western social media platforms.
👥 Key Players
⚡ Actions
📰 What Happened
Iran protests Meta's blocking of Khamenei's social media pages, calling it a violation of free expression.
- Iranian Foreign Minister protest Meta
- Meta block Khamenei's pages on Instagram and Facebook
- Iranian Foreign Minister announce Meta's action
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The blocking of Khamenei's social media accounts has intensified Iranian government criticism of Western social media policies.
📝 Key Evidence
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%