T
Elon Musk might be violating sanctions against Iran with X Premium accounts.
The Tech Transparency Project identified several Iranian government agencies and officials enjoying the perks of X Premium accounts. Normally, Premium requires a paid subscription, which could violate US sanctions. Suspiciously, when Wired flagged some of those accounts to X, they were stripped of their blue checkmarks:
X did not respond to a request for comment, but within hours of WIRED flagging several X accounts belonging to Iranian officials, their blue checkmarks were removed. The rest of the accounts identified by TTP but not shared with X continue to display a blue checkmark.
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Loading comments
Getting the conversation ready...
Most Popular
Most Popular
- Meta’s historic loss in court could cost a lot more than $375 million
- Apple raises the Mac Mini’s starting price
- How the internet’s favorite squirrel dad made the hottest camera app of 2026
- Spirit Airlines shuts down after Trump’s war on Iran doubled jet fuel prices
- Anker’s discounted 2-in-1 USB-C cable is a great way to spend $15
