Social Media Platform 'X' Removes Blue Checkmarks from Iranian State Media Accounts

The social media company X, formerly known as Twitter, removed blue and gold checkmarks from the accounts of Iranian state media on Thursday, February 15. Blue checkmarks on X indicate accounts that pay for verification, while gold is reserved for official organizations. This action faced backlash from the Iranian government, with the news network Press TV attributing it to 'pressure from the Israeli lobby.' The Washington-based Technology Transparency Project criticized X's management for providing 'premium and paid services' to accounts affiliated with the Iranian government, noting that the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Press TV, Tasnim, and their affiliated media last September. The project also reported identifying 28 accounts linked to Hezbollah, Iranian state media, and Russian media on X that have blue or gold checkmarks. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, sanctions generally prohibit any transactions by U.S. persons or within the United States with sanctioned individuals or organizations. When X was known as Twitter, it provided account verification for free. Elon Musk, after acquiring the platform in 2022, made the blue checkmark verification contingent on payment. There is a potential violation of U.S. sanctions by X due to receiving payments from sanctioned users.