Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Twitter Suspends Iran Top Leader's Account Over Trump Threat
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 years ago on
January 22, 2021

Share

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Twitter said on Friday that it had permanently banned an account connected to the office of Iran’s supreme leader, shortly after the account posted a photo showing former President Donald Trump playing golf in the shadow of a giant drone.

In response to a request for comment from The Associated Press, a Twitter spokesman said that the tweet had violated the company’s “abusive behavior policy,” and that the account had violated its “manipulation and spam policy, specifically the creation of fake accounts,” without elaborating.

Other accounts thought to be tied to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office remained active.

Earlier this month, Facebook and Twitter cut off Trump from their platforms for allegedly inciting the assault on the U.S. Capitol, an unprecedented step that underscored the immense power of tech giants in regulating speech on their platforms. Activists soon urged the companies to apply their policies equally to political figures worldwide in order to combat hate speech and content that encourages violence.

The image posted late Thursday by the account linked to Khamenei, @khamenei_site, appeared to call for an attack on Trump, with the caption “Revenge is certain” written in Farsi.

Iran Blocks Social Media Websites Like Facebook and Twitter, and Censors Others

The warning referenced Khamenei’s remarks last month ahead of the first anniversary of the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. In his speech, Khamenei did not call out Trump by name, but reiterated a vow for vengeance against those who ordered and executed the attack on Soleimani.

“Revenge will certainly happen at the right time,” Khamenei had declared.

Iran blocks social media websites like Facebook and Twitter, and censors others. While top officials have unfettered access to social media, Iran’s youth and tech-savvy citizens use proxy servers or other workarounds to bypass the controls.

Soon after Trump’s ban from Twitter ignited calls to target tweets from other political leaders, the company took down a post by a different Khamenei-linked account that pushed a COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theory.

Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran, had claimed that virus vaccines imported from the U.S. or Britain were “completely untrustworthy.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Proud to Be an American: The Oft-Forgotten Red, White & Blue 1972 Fords

DON'T MISS

California Ban on Gas Appliances Started On Jan. 1 With ‘All Electric’ Rule

DON'T MISS

A Scorching, Rocky Planet Twice Earth’s Size Has a Thick Atmosphere, Scientists Say

DON'T MISS

Jury Awards $1 Million Verdict to Students Expelled Over Blackface That Wasn’t

DON'T MISS

Police Clear Pro-Palestinian Protest Camp and Arrest 33 at DC Campus as Mayor’s Hearing Is Canceled

DON'T MISS

Will Californians Get Any Relief From Nation’s Highest Gas Prices?

DON'T MISS

California Supreme Court to Weigh Pulling Measure Making It Harder to Raise Taxes from Ballot

DON'T MISS

Battle Over Marilyn Monroe’s Home: Preservation vs. Demolition

DON'T MISS

Israel Says It Reopened a Key Gaza Crossing After a Rocket Attack but the UN Says No Aid Has Entered

DON'T MISS

Giants Break 4-Game Skid Behind Small Ball and Harrison’s Pitching

UP NEXT

Jury Awards $1 Million Verdict to Students Expelled Over Blackface That Wasn’t

UP NEXT

Israel Says It Reopened a Key Gaza Crossing After a Rocket Attack but the UN Says No Aid Has Entered

UP NEXT

US Service Member Shot and Killed by Florida Police Identified by the Air Force

UP NEXT

Four-Time Grammy Winner Debuts Song Inspired by College Protests

UP NEXT

Watch: Israel’s Oversized Influence in American Elections

UP NEXT

Own a Business? Learn How to Get a Piece of the $5.5 Billion Visa/Mastercard Settlement

UP NEXT

India Votes in Third Phase of National Elections; Modi Escalates His Rhetoric Against Muslims

UP NEXT

Boy Scouts of America Changing Name to More Inclusive Scouting America After Years of Woes

UP NEXT

Israeli Forces Seize Rafah Crossing in Gaza, Threatening Aid and Putting Cease-Fire Talks on Edge

UP NEXT

Police Disperse Pro-Palestinian Student Protest in Berlin Amid Europe-wide Demonstrations

Jury Awards $1 Million Verdict to Students Expelled Over Blackface That Wasn’t

1 hour ago

Police Clear Pro-Palestinian Protest Camp and Arrest 33 at DC Campus as Mayor’s Hearing Is Canceled

2 hours ago

Will Californians Get Any Relief From Nation’s Highest Gas Prices?

2 hours ago

California Supreme Court to Weigh Pulling Measure Making It Harder to Raise Taxes from Ballot

2 hours ago

Battle Over Marilyn Monroe’s Home: Preservation vs. Demolition

2 hours ago

Israel Says It Reopened a Key Gaza Crossing After a Rocket Attack but the UN Says No Aid Has Entered

2 hours ago

Giants Break 4-Game Skid Behind Small Ball and Harrison’s Pitching

3 hours ago

Muncy’s Grand Slam, Yamamoto’s Pitching Power Dodgers to 6th Straight Win

3 hours ago

LA Police Make Arrest in Murder of Fresno Human Trafficking Fighter’s Daughter

17 hours ago

Fresno Man Charged With Murder in Woman’s Fentanyl Death

18 hours ago

Proud to Be an American: The Oft-Forgotten Red, White & Blue 1972 Fords

It’s 1972, and the Muscle Car Era is on its last legs. Horsepower is dwindling faster than a politician’s approval ratings, and ...

12 mins ago

Central Octane: 1972 Ford Sprint Series Mustang, Maverick, Pinto
12 mins ago

Proud to Be an American: The Oft-Forgotten Red, White & Blue 1972 Fords

31 mins ago

California Ban on Gas Appliances Started On Jan. 1 With ‘All Electric’ Rule

58 mins ago

A Scorching, Rocky Planet Twice Earth’s Size Has a Thick Atmosphere, Scientists Say

1 hour ago

Jury Awards $1 Million Verdict to Students Expelled Over Blackface That Wasn’t

2 hours ago

Police Clear Pro-Palestinian Protest Camp and Arrest 33 at DC Campus as Mayor’s Hearing Is Canceled

2 hours ago

Will Californians Get Any Relief From Nation’s Highest Gas Prices?

2 hours ago

California Supreme Court to Weigh Pulling Measure Making It Harder to Raise Taxes from Ballot

2 hours ago

Battle Over Marilyn Monroe’s Home: Preservation vs. Demolition

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend