X suspends Iranian accounts in bid to silence voices against US-Israeli aggression

The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has launched a sweeping campaign to suspend accounts opposed to the US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

The latest account to be suspended belongs to Ali Alizadeh, an Iranian journalist and podcaster based in the United Kingdom, who is active on X under the handle @Jedaal.

According to reports, the account was taken down without prior notice or explanation, marking the latest in a series of suspensions affecting Iranian users critical of the war.

Previously, amid the US-Israeli war against Iran, X took similar action against other Iranian voices, including social media activist Arya (@AryJeay) and international affairs commentator and TV show host Mehdi Khanalizadeh (@Khanalizadeh_IR).

Both accounts were also removed from the platform in recent weeks without warning.

X owner Elon Musk and the platform itself have come under fire for silencing Iranian and pro-resistance voices that oppose Western foreign policy and wars across the world.

The suspended accounts had been outspoken in their criticism of the recent war against Iran and Lebanon, as well as the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran who maintains an active presence on social media, condemned the silencing of Iranian voices on X.

"Another Iranian account, @Jedaal, has been suspended. @elonmusk and @X are gradually silencing all Iranian voices opposed to ethnic cleansing, genocide, and empire," he wrote.

X has not issued any statement so far regarding the suspensions, which have reignited debate over free speech on the platform, which Musk had called a "global town square."

Social media users say X selectively enforces its policies, disproportionately targeting voices from the Global South, particularly those critical of the US-Israeli war coalition.

In the past, the platform has imposed severe restrictions on Press TV and other Iranian media outlets under pressure from the Zionist lobby in the United States.

David Miller, a British academic and commentator, said it is part of "a very clear pattern and an insidious campaign" on the part of X against Iranian users.

"The mayor of Tehran, Alireza Zakani, the academic Mahdi Khanalizadeh, the MP Amirhossein Sabeti, the eulogist Mahdi Rasouli and the open source information account @AryJeay have all been suspended from @X @Support. The latest victim is @jedaal," he wrote on his X handle.

"Clearly, this is a concerted political campaign to silence all dissent against the Zionist regime change policy in Tehran. It comes on the heels of Iranian government accounts having their verified status removed and the Pahlavist flag replacing the Iranian flag here. If this application is to have any claim to being a public square, these accounts must be reinstated."

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk