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Khamenei on Twitter

Name: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader, Islamic Republic of Iran
Twitter handle: @khamenei_ir
On Twitter since: 2009
Twitter follower count as of April 2022: 904,000

Contents

(1) Summary

(2) Khamenei status on Twitter

(3) Khamenei activities on Twitter – and Twitter’s willful enabling of him

(4) Khamenei-affiliated Twitter accounts

(5) Essential information about Iran: Detail

(6) Widespread calls for Twitter to ban Khamenei

(7) Additional reading re Twitter enabling Iran-affiliated terrorist accounts

(1) Summary

  • Iran is the largest state sponsor of global terrorism, primarily aimed at America and Israel
  • Iran has waged a campaign of murder against U.S. soldiers and citizens since the early 1980s
  • Iran is the largest state sponsor of anti-Semitism

Iran’s unelected ruler, the “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Khamenei, claims Iran has a divine order from God to wipe America and Israel off the face of the Earth, as part of its global jihad to cleanse the world of “infidels.”

Since Iran’s fundamentalist religious revolution in 1979, and driven by its leaders’ belief in the same divine order, it has been engaged in non-stop terrorism against America and her allies, particularly Israel.

This is why there are so many international sanctions against Iran, and the free world is striving to prevent it from getting the nuclear weapons it’s been working to develop for decades, to fulfill what it believes is divine prophecy. Iran is also one of only three nations that the US has designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Given these facts, and Twitter’s stated rules and policies, we contend it is jarring to know that Khamenei has had an active Twitter account since 2009, and that he has been allowed to amass nearly 1 million followers. Twitter also allows Khamanei’s government underlings to enjoy Twitter accounts.

Learn more about Iran in Section (5) Essential information about Iran: Detail.

(2) Khamenei status on Twitter

Screencap taken June 28, 2022 of account @khamenei_ir, archived here.

(3) Khamenei activities on Twitter – and Twitter’s willful enabling of him

July 27, 2022: Khamenei posts anti-Semitic conspiracy theory on Twitter (in case Twitter later removes it, screencap here):

UPDATE JULY 28, 2022: TWITTER DENIES THIS TWEET VIOLATED ITS POLICIES: Twitter rapidly responded to a complaint about this Tweet, that it vilifies and dehumanizes a group based on religion, which is an explicit violation of its stated policies.  Yet Twitter denied that Khamenei violated its policies:

Khamenei explicitly called to destroy the lone Jewish nation, Israel (2014; Twitter allowed post to remain through at least May 4, 2022):

 

Iran’s supreme leader makes online threats to attack golfing Trump – BBC New, January 22, 2021. Excerpt:

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has posted online an apparent call for an attack on Donald Trump in revenge for last year’s killing of its top military commander, Gen Qasem Soleimani.

A photomontage, on his official website, appears to show the ex-US president playing golf in the shadow of a warplane or large drone.

Twitter Removes Khamenei Vaccine Tweet For ‘violating’ Rules – I24NEWS, January 9, 2021. Excerpt:

Twitter has removed a tweet by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggesting coronavirus vaccines made in the United States and Britain are “untrustworthy,” saying the post violated its rules.

“Importing vaccines made in the US or the UK is prohibited. They’re completely untrustworthy. It’s not unlikely they would want to contaminate other nations,” said a tweet posted Friday on Khamenei’s English-language Twitter account.

Twitter Rules Don’t Block Iran’s Ayatollah From Calling Israel ‘Cancerous Tumor,’ Jack Dorsey Says – The Wrap, October 28, 2020. Excerpt:

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Wednesday said Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s anti-Semitic tweets — including calling Israel a “cancerous tumor” — don’t violate the company’s rules. Testifying virtually before a U.S. Senate’s Commerce Committee, Dorsey said Khamenei’s tweets qualified as “saber-rattling,” and since they weren’t directed at his own citizens, were allowed under Twitter’s handling of world leaders.

“We believe it’s important for everyone to hear from global leaders, and we have policies around world leaders,” Dorsey said. “We want to make sure we are respecting their right to speak and to publish what they need.”

Twitter CEO: Iranian leader’s ‘saber rattling’ doesn’t violate our policies – POLITICO, October 28, 2020. Excerpt:

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Wednesday defended the company’s decision to leave up tweets from Iran’s leader threatening armed attacks against Israel while putting fact-checking and violence labels on tweets from President Donald Trump.

“We did not find those to violate our terms of service because we considered them ‘saber ratting,’ which is part of the speech of world leaders in concert with other countries,” Dorsey told Senate Commerce Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who had asked about the tweets from Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Explicitly calling to destroy the lone Jewish nation, Israel (2014; Twitter allowed post to remain through at least May 4, 2022):

(4) Khamenei-affiliated Twitter accounts

On June 21, 2022, the Washington Free Beacon reported the fact that a Khamenei-affiliated Twitter account with 75,000 followers openly threatened to murder former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo:

Iran Renews Threats To Assassinate Mike Pompeo, Washington Free Beacon, June 21, 2022 2:45 pm. Excerpt:

Iran is renewing threats to assassinate former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, prompting a fresh warning from the State Department that any attempt to take the life of a current or former U.S. official will prompt “severe consequences.”

An Arabic-language Twitter account affiliated with the hardline Iranian regime stated during the weekend that Pompeo, who served under former president Donald Trump, should fear for his life.

“Live in fear, liar,” the account tweeted, alongside an image of Pompeo with crosshairs on his forehead. The post indicates that Iran wants Pompeo dead as payback for the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian terror leader Qassem Soleimani.

The Free Beacon’s reporting was based on a June 19, 2022 Tweet by Iran watchdog Heshmat Alavi, who also alerted Twitter Safety to this threat:

Although the Tweet by user iraninarabic.ir – which describes itself as “Islamic Republic of Iran” – that contained the threat (link here) was removed, presumably by the user account, Twitter still allowed it to be operational as of 2:30pm on June 22, 2022:

The Tweet containing the threat against Pompeo was removed…
…but as of June 22, 2022 — three days after the threatening Tweet was posted, and one day after the Free Beacon reported it, Twitter was still allowing the account to remain active as of 2:30pm.

Fox News then reported the story on June 22, 2022:

Iran again threatens to assassinate Pompeo: ‘Live in fear’ – Fox News, June 22, 2022.

Fox’s story include a Tweet from another Khamenei-affiliated account, @zainab_soIamane, that also threatened Pompeo:

As of 3:50pm on June 22, 2022, this threat was also still posted:

(5) Essential information about Iran: Detail

Note: This section is adapted from my 2016 report that exposed how a major online “news” organization helped lie America into accepting the Iran nuclear “deal,” here.

(5.1) Iran has been the #1 largest state sponsor of global terrorism

(5.2) Iran’s rulers, including Khamenei, have publicly called for the destruction of America, and Israel

(5.3) Iran’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks, and its long-term support for Al Qaeda

(5.4) Iran’s campaign of murder against U.S. soldiers

(5.5) Background on sanctions imposed on Iran by the U.S. and allies

(5.1) Iran has been the #1 largest state sponsor of global terrorism

Iran-Rejects-State-Departments-Report-On-TerrorismSince the early 1980s, the U.S. government and its allies have listed Iran as the world’s most dangerous state sponsor of terrorism, and government officials from across the political spectrum have been firmly opposed to any kind of normalized diplomatic or financial relations with the terror state until and unless it ceases these activities. Here is a sampling of articles and reports that present the background of Iran’s involvement in global terror, and why so many officials were opposed to the deal to lift sanctions, release $100 billion in cash, and provide Iran with a path to nuclear weapons.

U.S. Report: Iran’s Support for Terrorism: The Iran Primer – US Institute of Peace, December 18, 2021.

Tackling the Iranian Regime’s Nuclear Threat – Gatestone Institute, April 16, 2022.

U.S. State Department: Iran Remains ‘World’s Worst State Sponsor Of Terrorism’ – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, November 2, 2019.

Country Reports on Terrorism 2013 State Sponsors of Terrorism Overview – US State Department; 2019 update here.

Iran as #1 State Sponsor of Terrorism – United Against A Nuclear Iran.

[2016] State Department report finds Iran is top state sponsor of terror, by Ryan Browne, CNN, June 2, 2016. Excerpt:

[T]he report said that [Iran] “remained the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in 2015, providing a range of support, including financial, training, and equipment, to groups around the world.” The report also said that Iran was continuing to provide arms and cash to terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Iraqi Shia terrorist groups, including Kata’ib Hizballah (KH). Both groups are designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations in the report.

Bipartisan Agreement: Iran is Leading State Sponsor of International Terrorism, by Zachary Leshin, CNSNews, December 8, 2015.

State sponsor of terror: The global threat of Iran, by Daniel L. Byman, The Brookings Institution, February 11, 2015.

Iran: The Most Active State Sponsor of Terrorism, by United Against Nuclear Iran.

Private Government Report: Iran Spending Billions to Pay Terrorist Salaries, by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, September 4, 2015.

Iran spending billions on terrorists’ salaries: report, By Kellan Howell, The Washington Times, Saturday, September 5, 2015.

U.S. Taxpayers Are Funding Iran’s Military Expansion, by Eli Lake, Bloomberg, June 9, 2016.

(5.2) Iran’s rulers, including Khamenei, have publicly called for the destruction of America, and Israel

Quotes by Iran’s leaders, during these “negotiations,” that indicate they will only ramp up anti-American terrorism if the deal passes:

Iran’s Khamenei hails his people for demanding death to America and Israel: In vicious speech, leader says he hopes God will answer these prayers; vows nuclear deal won’t change Iran’s support for Palestine, opposition to America, by Times of Israel staff and AFP, July 18, 2015.

Iran’s supreme leader screams ‘Death to America’ amid ongoing nuclear talks, by Joe Tacopino, New York Post, March 23, 2015. Video below:

“Saying ‘Death to America’ is easy. We need to express ‘Death to America’ with action. Saying it is easy.” – “Moderate” president Hassan Rouhani, May 8, 2013

Iran endorses nuclear EMP attack on United States, by Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, March 19, 2015.

UPDATE August 1, 2022: Iran threatens to nuke New York City

Iran says it will ‘build nuclear warheads’ and turn NY into ‘hellish ruins’, by Benjamin Weinthal, Jerusalem Post, July 31, 2022. Excerpt

Iran expert Ben Sabti tweeted that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “Telegram channel threatens to produce atomic warhead for missiles,” citing the channel’s message: “Iran can immediately return to Emad project and build an atomic bomb if Natanz facilities are attacked.”

The Emad, cited in the message, is an Iranian long-range missile.

The IRGC-linked Bisimchi Media (Radioman Media) Telegram channel published a video titled “When Will Iran’s Sleeping Nuclear Warheads Awaken,” according to the London-based Iran International news outlet.

Iran’s threats to Israel, and funding of the terrorists seeking to destroy it, on Twitter and beyond

“Iran is the number one state sponsor of antisemitism.” – Dr. Sheila Nazarian, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s international arm.

Iranian army: In 25 years Israel will no longer be on the map, by Elad Benari, Arutz Sheva, July 1, 2016.

WATCH: Iranians Demand “Death to Israel”; Rouhani Calls for “Liberating Palestine,” by TheTower.org Staff, July 1, 2016.

Iran pledges thousands of dollars for Palestinian terrorists, by Raoul Wootliff, Times of Israel, February 24, 2016.

Iran pledges $70 million to Palestinian Islamic Jihad: As Iran deal critics warned, Tehran continues to up its support for terrorism with sanctions relief money; Move seen as snub to Hamas, by Ari Soffer, Israel National News, May 26, 2016.

Iran publishes book on how to outwit US and destroy Israel, by Amir Taheri, New York Post, August 1, 2015.

Iran Funding Hamas Preparations for War, by Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary, August 11, 2015.

(5.3) Iran’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks, and its long-term support for Al Qaeda

Although it is not widely known, in 2011 and again in 2016, U.S. federal courts ruled that Iran played a direct, material role in the 9/11 attacks, and in providing ongoing support for Al Qaeda:

22Dec11 Judge ruling CBS - calloutJudge: Iran, Taliban, al Qaeda liable for 9/11, CBS News, December 23, 2011 (at right).

9/11 Lawsuit: Federal Court Awards $7 billion in final judgment against Iran and Hezbollah, Winder and Counsel, PC.

Iran loses Manhattan skyscraper to terror victims, by Daniel Beekman, New York Daily News, March 31, 2014.

A special report about dramatic revelations that could change everything we knew about 9/11, by Ronen Bergman, YNet News, September 11, 2011.

The court ruling and related documents

Complete resources, exhibits, legal notes: http://iran911case.com/

Court’s Order of Judgment in Havlish v. bin Laden, et al, United States District Court, December 22, 2011.

Havlish v. bin Laden, et al, Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, United States District Court, December 22, 2011.

Continuation – more rulings in 2016 and beyond

Iran Told to Pay $10.5 Billion to Sept. 11 Kin, Insurers, by Bob Van Voris, Bloomberg, March 9, 2016.

Iran ordered to pay billions to relatives of 9/11 victims, by Aaron Katersky, ABC News, May 1, 2018.

Background – The evidence of Iran’s long-term, deep relationship with Al Qaeda, for the purpose of perpetrating war against America and its interests, before, after, and on 9/11

Iran’s Link to Al-Qaeda: The 9-11 Commission’s Evidence; Middle East Quarterly, Fall 2004, Volume 12: Number 1, September 1, 2004.

Unlikely Alliance: Iran’s Secretive Relationship with Al-Qaeda, by Daniel L. Byman, IHS Defense, Risk and Security Consulting (via Brookings Institution), July 31, 2012.

Remember Iran’s Role in 9/11; Forgetful officials should not be rewarding Tehran for its deadly actions with gifts like sanctions relief, by Joseph I. Lieberman, The Wall St. Journal, September 7, 2016.

Iran’s Secret Funding For al-Qaeda In Exchange For Attacks On U.S. Targets Exposed in Bin Laden Files, by Callum Paton, Newsweek, November 2, 2017.

Notes found in Osama bin Laden’s compound appear to bolster US claims of Iranian link to al-Qaeda; Supposed al-Qaeda document released by CIA depicts history of terror group’s relationship with Iran – but Tehran derides it as fake news, by the Associated Press (via the South China Morning Post), November 3, 2017.

CIA documents ‘conclusive proof of Al-Qaeda-Iran ties,’ by Siraj Wahab, Agency Press-France (via Arab News), November 3, 2017.

Al-Qaeda Has Rebuilt Itself—With Iran’s Help; Interviews with al-Qaeda members and bin Laden’s family reveal a pact that allowed the group to prepare for its next phase, by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, The Atlantic, November 11, 2017.

(5.4) Iran’s campaign of murder against U.S. soldiers

2010NYDN-US-pays-smallIran Is Responsible for More Than 1,000 American Military Deaths Since 9/11, by David French, National Review, July 14, 2015.

Nuke Deal or Not, Iran Has Already Declared War on Us, by Lawrence A. Franklin, The Gatestone Institute, August 20, 2015.

Report: Iran pays $1,000 for each U.S. soldier killed by the Taliban, NBC News, September 5, 2010 (The New York Daily News also covered this story, here).

Nuke Deal Helps Qasem Soleimani, The Top Iranian General With ‘American Blood on His Hands’, by Shane Harris, The Daily Beast, July 14, 2015.

Killing Americans and their Allies: Iran’s Continuing War Against the U.S. and the West, By Colonel (ret.) Richard Kemp and Major (ret.) Chris Driver-Williams, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, March 2015.

Private Government Report: Iran Spending Billions to Pay Terrorist Salaries, by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, September 4, 2015.

Iraqi Shi’ite cleric tells followers to target U.S. troops fighting Islamic State, by Stephen Kalin and Peter Cooney, Reuters, July 19, 2016. Excerpt:

Powerful Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr instructed his followers on Sunday to target U.S. troops deploying to Iraq as part of the military campaign against Islamic State.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Monday the Pentagon would dispatch 560 additional troops to help Iraqi forces retake the northern city of Mosul in an offensive planned for later this year.

Sadr, who rose to prominence when his Mahdi Army battled U.S. troops after the 2003 invasion, posted the comments on his official website after a follower asked for his response to the announcement.

“They are a target for us,” Sadr said, without offering details.

Iran Deal Was Worse Than We Thought, by Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary, July 20, 2016.

German intelligence revealed earlier this month that Iran is not only violating, as the administration concedes, the spirit of the agreement but also its letter, too, by seeking to illicitly purchase nuclear material that can be used to build a weapon.

That latter revelation apparently wasn’t enough to make it into the New York Times’ article on the anniversary of the deal. But for those who are actually paying attention to reality rather than administration spin, it turns out the pact was even worse than we thought.

(5.5) Background on sanctions imposed on Iran by the U.S. and allies

  • Video: Iran Sanctions: The Forgotten History, The Wall St. Journal, July 21, 2015. Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust Director Anne Bayefsky on the significance of the U.N. vote to lift international sanctions on Iran.

About Iran, and why the US designated it as a state sponsor of terrorism

Amid nuke talks, Ayatollah says ‘death to America’ – CNN Video

Iranian Terror Operations on American Soil – Testimony before a joint hearing of the US House Homeland Security Committee, October 26, 2011.

(6) Widespread calls for Twitter to ban Khamenei

Twitter users calls for ban of Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei – NY Post, May 12, 2021. Excerpt:

The call on Twitter by Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei for Palestinians to “stand strong” and “confront” Israel has sparked outrage about the platform, which has banned former President Donald Trump but not the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader.

“Palestinians are awake and determined. They must continue this path. One can only talk with the language of power with these criminals,” Khamenei declared in a tweet on Tuesday amid the escalating hostilities between the two sides.

“They must increase their strength, stand strong, confront the enemy, and force them to stop their crimes,” he added just before the Israeli military announced that air raid sirens in Tel Aviv warned of an impending barrage of rockets from Hamas in Gaza.

A senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasted no time in slamming Twitter for not targeting Khamenei over his inflammatory missive.

Why won’t Twitter ban Khamenei when it permanently suspended Trump? – Arab News, March 22, 2021. Excerpt:

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is notorious for using his Twitter accounts to incite hate, violence and disinformation. Yet his many accounts in multiple languages still exist on the platform.

These accounts, in languages including Persian, English, and Spanish, regularly post content that would – and should – violate Twitter’s policies.

Twitter should ban Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – The Washington Post, January 21, 2021. Excerpt:

Many Iranian human rights activists have often wondered why Twitter and other social media organizations take so little action against the Islamic republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other government officials. Meanwhile, Khamenei has banned 83 million Iranians from Twitter, although he and his allies make full use of social platforms to spread their lies — without even a hint of warning labels. The social media playing field remains starkly tilted in favor of the dictatorship.

Testifying before a Senate hearing last October, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey said Khamenei’s anti-Semitic tweets and his calls for the eradication of Israel didn’t violate the company’s rules because they were only “saber-rattling.” Since Khamenei’s verbal attacks weren’t aimed at his own citizens, Dorsey claimed, they were permissible.

This is shortsighted — and plain wrong.

(7) Additional reading re Twitter enabling Iran-affiliated terrorist accounts

Why does Twitter enable Hamas to spread its propaganda? [UPDATED] – Save The West, .

Taliban on Twitter – Save The West, April 2022.