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In recent weeks, Elon Musk She followed the lead of President Donald Trump, criticizing Iranian government officials and supporting thousands of demonstrators protesting against the regime. It even offered free access to its Starlink satellites in Central Nationwide internet blackout.
But while he publicly declares his support for the protesters, Musk’s Company X appears to be benefiting from the same government officials he has criticized, potentially violating US sanctions in the process, according to a new report. a report From the Technology Transparency Project (TTP) shared exclusively with WIRED.
TTP identified more than two dozen These accounts were sharing state-sponsored propaganda at a time when ordinary Iranians did not have access to the Internet, and their messages appeared to be artificially boosted to increase reach and engagement, which is alarming. A key aspect of X’s premium service. An
By the time the Trump administration became… He threatens Iran With the possibility of military action if demands related to nuclear enrichment and ballistic missiles are not met, X appears to undermine those efforts by providing a social media outlet for the Iranian government to spread its message.
“The fact that Elon Musk is not only platforming these individuals, but taking their money to boost their content through these premium subscriptions and giving them additional features also means that he is undermining the sanctions that the United States and the Trump administration are already implementing,” Katie Paul, director of TTP, told WIRED.
X did not respond to a request for comment, but within hours of WIRED flagging several X accounts belonging to Iranian officials, their blue flags had been removed. The rest of the accounts that are identified by TTP but not shared with X continue to display a blue check mark.
The White House directed WIRED to the Treasury Department when asked for comment. A Treasury spokesperson said they do not comment on specific allegations but that “we take allegations of sanctionable conduct very seriously.”
At the end of last year, protests broke out in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on December 28, due to the continued decline in the value of the Iranian rial against the dollar, and the widespread economic crisis in the country. In the following days, tens of thousands of protesters poured into the streets in cities across the country, demanding regime change and an end to the 37-year rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In response, the regime brutally suppressed protesters, arresting tens of thousands of people and killing thousands more. The real number of deaths is still unknown, however It could be much higher What is currently reported.
Trump indicated his support for the protesters in a post on Truth Social on January 2, promising to come to their rescue. “We are primed and ready to go,” he wrote. Musk quickly followed Trump, calling Khamenei “delusional.”
On January 5, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Eji, the head of Iran’s judiciary, who had a blue check mark at the time, wrote in a post on X: “This time, we will show no mercy to the rioters.” Ejei was among the accounts that had blue check marks removed on Wednesday after WIRED contacted the company.
A few days later, X Change the Iranian flag The emojis on the platform are similar to those used before the 1979 revolution, showing a lion and a sun. On January 14, Musk announced that anyone with a Starlink device would be free to access the Internet in Iran without a subscription. At the time, Starlink devices were the only possible way to connect to the Internet after the government imposed a near-total internet blackout.