Iranian Foreign Minister criticizes Twitter

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday accused Twitter of closing accounts of "real" Iranians, while failing to shut down anti-government ones backed by the United States, Reuters reports.

کد خبر: ۸۳۴۷۲۳

تاریخ: ۲۶ شهريور ۱۳۹۷ - ۰۸:۵۰

In August, Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet collectively removed hundreds of accounts tied to an alleged Iranian propaganda operation.

"Hello @Jack. Twitter has shuttered accounts of real Iranians, (including) TV presenters & students, for supposedly being part of an 'influence op'," Zarif wrote in a tweet, addressing Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

"How about looking at actual bots in [the Albanian capital of] Tirana used to prop up 'regime change' propaganda spewed out of DC? #YouAreBots," Zarif added.

Twitter declined to comment when contacted by Reuters in the United States.

Iranian media have accused Israel, Saudi Arabia, and exiled opposition groups, including the Mujahideen Khalq which has some members based in Albania, of being behind social media campaigns calling for the overthrow of the Iranian regime.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently accused the United States and Israel of waging a media war to discourage Iranians amid the country’s continued financial crisis.