Meta removes Iran Leader’s Instagram accounts under pro-Israeli lobby pressure

Meta Platforms, Inc., the American company that runs and owns Instagram, has removed the accounts belonging to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on the social media platform.

The company removed Ayatollah Khamenei’s Persian- and English-language accounts on Thursday.

The move came following months of incessant campaigning by pro-Israeli groups, which are known for wielding immense influence and interfering in major decision-making processes across the United States, the Israeli regime’s biggest ally.

Meta has been indulging in taking down pro-Palestinian content across Instagram and Facebook, which is likewise owned by the company, since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime began a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip.

The company has censored hundreds of instances of such content amid growing calls by Palestinians’ supporters for cessation of the military onslaught that has so far claimed the lives of at least 27,840 people, mostly women, children, and adolescents.

The takedown came on the same day as the Leader said the ongoing catastrophic incidents in the Gaza Strip were a tragedy for the Muslim world and the entire humanity.

Before removal, the Leader’s Persian-language account had more than 5.1 million followers, while the English-language one was being followed by 204,000 people.

Neither Instagram nor Facebook, however, have targeted any accounts owned by Israeli officials, who have been calling for the intensification of the regime’s deadly aggression against Palestinians, and the continuation of the military campaign until “victory.”

This is while, in line with Facebook’s regulations, politicians have to “abide by” the social media platform’s “community standards,” and refrain from “inciting violence” or delivering “hate speech.”