Instagram finally blocked Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei’s account. The account was blocked on Thursday, following months of pressure from pro-Israel groups.
Khamenei’s account had more than 5.3 million followers. “We have removed these accounts for repeatedly violating our Dangerous Organizations & Individuals policy,” a spokesperson told Middle East Eye following the accounts’ removal.
Khamenei has often called for the genocide of Jews without any repercussions on social media platforms like those owned by Meta, while simultaneously removing many Christians for sharing Biblical world views. The attacks on Christian faith have been seen as extremely hypocritical, when many extreme Islamic groups like Iran’s top leader and even the Taliban have violently attacked, raped, and killed while using social media to spread their messages on Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp.
This time, however, there have been repeated calls from Iranian opposition and pro-Israel campaigners to ban Khamenei’s social media accounts, particularly in the wake of the 7 October Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel. It seems that the voices were finally too loud to avoid.
