Meta removed Instagram accounts belonging to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday, citing repeated violations of their Dangerous Organizations & Individuals policy.
Khamenei’s Persian-language account, with over 5.1 million followers, and his English-language account, with over 204,000 followers, were both taken down.
This action followed months of pressure from pro-Israel groups, which intensified after the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on October 7.
Despite denials from both Iran and the US regarding Iranian involvement in the attacks, Khamenei faced accusations of praising the incident on social media.
Additionally, Khamenei’s public support for Palestinian resistance against Israel and for attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels contributed to calls for the removal of his social media accounts.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Khamenei has faced such action from Instagram. His accounts were previously suspended in 2019 but were later restored.