Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has removed accounts run on behalf of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei due to his support for Hamas. The removal comes after criticism over Khamenei's endorsement of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which sparked the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Meta stated that the accounts were removed for repeatedly violating their Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy, which prohibits organizations or individuals engaged in violence from having a presence on their platforms.

Khamenei's use of social media has drawn criticism in the past, especially after the mass protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. The Iranian leader's Facebook account had been banned in Iran since the 2009 disputed presidential election and subsequent protests. Iran also blocked Instagram and Meta's WhatsApp messaging service following the protests over Amini's death. However, Khamenei still maintains an account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The accounts associated with Khamenei had been praising the Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the hostage-taking of 250 others. In a speech following the attack, Khamenei expressed his support for Hamas, saying, "We kiss the hands of those who planned the attack on the Zionist regime." Iran has provided arms and support to Hamas, as well as other Iranian-backed militias like Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Meta's decision to remove Khamenei's accounts has been praised by Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League, who accused the Iranian leader of using social media platforms to incite violent antisemitism and make genocidal threats. The US State Department has designated Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and has accused Iran of arming the group.

Iran has denied any involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel and has accused Microsoft of launching cyber-attacks against its interests. Microsoft recently revealed that Iranian "government-aligned actors" had conducted a series of cyber-attacks since October 2023, aimed at supporting Hamas and weakening Israel. The company warned that the threat posed by Iran's cyber and influence operations is expected to grow as the conflict continues.

Khamenei's Instagram account had over 5 million followers before it was removed. Meta did not provide a specific reason for disabling the account, but it is believed to be due to Khamenei's promotion of dangerous organizations and individuals. Iranian hackers have also targeted streaming television services in the UAE, Canada, and the UK, replacing them with deepfake news videos aimed at portraying Israeli military operations in a negative light.

The removal of Khamenei's accounts is seen as a significant step in countering the spread of harmful content and promoting accountability on social media platforms. However, concerns remain about the growing threat of cyber and influence operations by Iran and its affiliates.