By Boluwatife Oshadiya
Key Points
- X (formerly Twitter) has removed verification badges from several Iranian government-linked accounts.
- The move aligns with U.S. sanctions rules restricting paid digital services for sanctioned entities.
- Affected accounts remain active and continue posting on the platform.
- The development follows earlier scrutiny over sanctioned officials accessing X Premium services.
Main Story
X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, has removed verification badges from multiple Iranian government accounts, including that of Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, in what appears to be a continuation of efforts to comply with U.S. sanctions regulations.
Baghaei confirmed the development in a post published on May 5, 2026, noting that the blue verification check had been stripped from his account, @IRIMFA_SPOX. Similar actions had previously affected the official account of Iran’s Foreign Ministry and that of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The removal comes amid heightened scrutiny over the use of X’s paid subscription services—Premium and Premium+—by individuals and entities subject to sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). These services, which replaced legacy verification systems in 2023, offer benefits such as extended post length, algorithmic prioritisation, and monetisation features.
Under U.S. sanctions law, sanctioned individuals and government-linked entities are generally prohibited from accessing paid or revenue-generating services offered by U.S.-based companies. While basic access to social media platforms remains permissible under exemptions for publicly available communication tools, subscription-based features fall into a more restrictive category.
Earlier in February 2026, investigative reports by the Tech Transparency Project and WIRED revealed that several Iranian officials had subscribed to X Premium services despite existing sanctions. The findings prompted questions about compliance and led to subsequent enforcement actions by the platform.
What’s Being Said
Iranian officials have criticised the badge removals, framing them as “selective censorship” and an attempt to suppress their messaging on global platforms. However, industry observers note that the action does not amount to content censorship, as the affected accounts remain fully operational.
Posts from Iranian officials continue to be visible, and the accounts retain the ability to engage with global audiences. Analysts argue that the removal of verification badges is a technical enforcement of payment-related policies rather than a restriction on speech.
X has not issued a detailed public statement on the latest removals but has previously indicated that its policies prohibit sanctioned users from accessing premium or monetisation features.
What’s Next
The development signals stricter enforcement of sanctions compliance by technology platforms operating under U.S. jurisdiction. It also raises broader questions about the intersection of global diplomacy, digital communication, and regulatory frameworks governing online services.
As geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran remain elevated—particularly over nuclear policy and regional security—digital platforms are increasingly caught in the crossfire of compliance obligations and political narratives.
For now, Iranian government officials continue to maintain a presence on X, even as restrictions tighten around monetised features and platform privileges.
