X could be breaching US sanctions on Iran, watchdog warns - Engadget

The newly verified account of Iran's supreme leader raises questions about the company's handling of sanctioned individuals. The newly verified X account for Iran's supreme leader could be putting the company on the wrong side of US sanctions, according to a watchdog group. The Tech Transparency Project, which last month published a report on X granting premium perks to sanctioned officials in Iran, now says that the verified account for the country's new leader raises fresh questions about the issue. The TTP notes that the X account for Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, appears to be paying for an X premium subscription despite being on the US government's list of sanctioned individuals since 2019. As the group points out, the Iran-based account was created this month and currently bears a blue checkmark, which typically indicates the account holder is paying for a subscription. Last month, TTP found that X was providing premium subscriptions to Iranian officials sanctioned by @USTreasury, a transaction that may violate sanctions. An account for Iran's new supreme leader created this month also carries the blue premium checkmark.🧵 pic.twitter.com/5K9Ss1Sex8 — Tech Trans