Meta removed Iranian Ayatollah Khamenei's Instagram and Facebook profiles

(Patria) - The company Meta announced that it has removed the Facebook and Instagram profiles of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei due to violations of its content policy.

"We have removed these profiles for multiple violations of our dangerous organizations and individuals policy," a Meta spokesperson told AFP.

Although Meta did not mention the war between Israel and Hamas, the company had been under pressure to ban the Iranian leader since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7.

After the attacks, Khamenei supported Hamas but denied any Iranian involvement. He also supported the Palestinian retaliation for Israel's bombing of Gaza, as well as the attacks by Yemen's Houthis on ships in the Red Sea.

Khamenei, who has been in power in Iran for 35 years, has five million followers on Instagram.

"In an effort to prevent and stop real-world harm, we do not allow organizations or individuals who proclaim a violent mission or are involved in violence to be present on our platforms," the policy on which Meta based its decision states. It also states that it will "remove glorification, support, and representation of various dangerous organizations and individuals."

Hamas has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.

Instagram and Facebook are banned in Iran, but Iranians use virtual private networks or VPNs to bypass restrictions and access banned websites or applications, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, AFP reports.