Removal of Blue Check Marks Expands to Iranian Officials and Media on X
WANA (Feb 15) – Reports indicate that the social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, has expanded the removal of blue verification badges from accounts linked to Iranian officials and institutions, following growing media scrutiny and claims of potential violations of U.S. sanctions.
A report published days ago by Wired said the company could face allegations of breaching U.S. sanctions by selling Premium subscriptions to certain Iranian government officials. Since then, the platform has begun removing blue check marks from accounts associated with the Iranian government, with the process gradually widening.
According to available information, the blue badges of figures including Abbas Araghchi and Ali Larijani have already been removed, while earlier reports also pointed to the removal of verification from accounts belonging to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and Ali Akbar Velayati. Unofficial sources say the move could extend to additional officials.
In a related development, the blue check mark of the Tehran Times account has also been removed, suggesting the scope of the changes goes beyond government officials to include media outlets linked to or close to official institutions. As of publication, X has not issued an official statement detailing the decision or its scope.
Removal of Blue Check Marks Expands to Iranian Officials and Media on X / WANA News Agency
Under X’s current system, the blue check indicates verification through a paid Premium subscription, while some official government accounts continue to display a gray badge — a label assigned directly by the platform after institutional verification and not available for purchase. This distinction allows official accounts to remain identifiable even after losing the blue check.
Technology policy analysts say the move may reflect growing caution among tech companies regarding legal risks tied to sanctions, particularly as global platforms face increasing scrutiny from regulators and media. The development has also renewed debate over how technology firms engage with sanctioned governments and where the line lies between providing digital services and complying with international legal frameworks.
If the trend continues, verification and subscription policies across social media platforms could face closer oversight and potential revisions, with implications extending beyond the Iran case to the broader tech industry.
For years, X — formerly Twitter — has been one of the world’s key platforms for official, political, and media communication, with the blue check serving as a marker of identity verification that helped users distinguish authentic accounts from fake ones and assess source credibility.
However, after verification policies changed and the blue check became a paid feature through Premium subscriptions, its function was fundamentally altered. Users can now obtain the badge simply by paying a fee, without necessarily having a public identity, official position, or even a clearly established real-world persona.
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This issue becomes more acute when fake accounts are created in the names of well-known figures, including government officials. Critics say that in some cases these accounts have not only avoided enforcement but have also received blue checks, enabling the wider spread of misleading content.
Recent reports suggest the mechanism has effectively become a tool for disseminating fabricated content attributed to Iranian officials. While the platform appears to have removed blue checks from the official pages of several Iranian figures, including Ali Larijani and Abbas Araghchi, fake accounts using their names and profile images have reportedly obtained verification badges at the same time.
Although these fake accounts use different handles, they often display the same names in Persian and English and identical profile photos, which — combined with the blue check — can mislead users about which account is authentic. Critics say the platform has not taken sufficient action to address the issue.
Media credibility rating organization NewsGuard previously reported after changes to X’s verification policies that a significant share of misleading content about international crises has been spread by blue-check accounts. For example, during the Hamas–Israel war in October 2023, a large portion of engagement with false information was linked to verified accounts, which benefited from algorithmic amplification and greater visibility.
Overall, the latest developments have once again raised questions about the role of social media platforms in information governance, corporate responsibility, and the impact of commercial verification models on the global information environment.
