The new Verified The Tech Transparency Project, which last month published a report on Ax giving premium allowances to sanctioned officials in Iran, now says the verified account for the country’s new leader raises new questions about the issue.
TTP notes that the As the group explains, the Iran-based account was created this month and currently has a blue checkmark, which typically indicates that the account holder is paying for a subscription.
The account belonging to Mojtaba Khamenei has been promoted by other state-linked accounts in Iran, including an account that previously belonged to Khamenei’s father. There is a gray checkmark on that account, indicating that it belongs to a verified government official. Verified accounts on X are rewarded with extra visibility on the platform, along with other features. Young Khamenei’s verified account has gained more than 20,000 new followers in a matter of hours since the TTP first posted about it.
“The new Supreme Leader’s account is the latest account for a sanctioned entity that is apparently paying X for premium services,” TTP director Katie Paul said in a statement to Engadget. “TTP has identified dozens of accounts, many of them linked to designated terrorists, that have subscribed to
As Paul says, this is not the first time TTP has raised questions about whether X is violating US sanctions through its premium service. In 2024, the group published a report stating that X was accepting payment verifications from more than two dozen sanctioned individuals and groups. The company said at the time that it had “a strong and secure vision for our monetization features.”
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company removed blue checks from some Iran-based accounts flagged by the TTP last month after the report wired.
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