YouTube Suspends Iranian Foreign Ministry Account for 'Regulation Violations'

YouTube has suspended the official account of the Iranian Foreign Ministry due to 'violations of the platform's regulations.' The Iranian news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday, June 8, that YouTube took this action shortly after the release of an English-language video titled 'Resistance, the Only Option for Palestine.' While government institutions in the Islamic Republic use YouTube for advertising and news dissemination, this platform is filtered in Iran, and citizens are not allowed to access it. Meanwhile, YouTube confirmed the suspension of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's account, stating that the action was in compliance with U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Alzbeta Hozarova, a YouTube spokesperson, wrote in a written statement to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: 'Google is committed to complying with U.S. sanctions, and as a result, this channel will be removed.' She added: 'Under U.S. sanctions, Iranian government channels are not allowed to operate on YouTube.' The YouTube spokesperson emphasized: 'If we find that an account violates our regulations, we will take necessary actions.' Hozarova reiterated that 'U.S. sanctions' were the reason for the suspension of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's account, countering IRNA's claim that the suspension was due to a post supporting Palestine. Previously, in Bahman 1402 (January-February 2023), Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, suspended the official accounts of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, on these social media platforms. Meta stated on Bahman 19 (February 8) in response to an email from Radio Farda that 'we suspended these accounts due to repeated violations of our policy regarding dangerous entities and individuals.' Meta did not specify the exact violations by the Supreme Leader's account, but it seems to refer to the account's support for Iran's proxy groups in the region, many of which are on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations. In Bahman 1402, the social media platform X also emphasized that the account of the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the Iranian judiciary, had violated the platform's rules regarding 'hate speech' 'multiple times' and was permanently suspended.