Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has launched a “verified” account on X, where he has been posting messages about the ongoing war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, as well as the Islamic Republic’s response to the conflict.
“Dear fighter brothers! The desire of the masses of the people is the continuation of effective and regret-inducing defense. Furthermore, the leverage of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must certainly continue to be used,” Khamenei wrote in one post to his more than 44,000 followers on X. All of the posts have been translated from Persian.
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“I assure everyone that we will not forgo vengeance for the blood of your martyrs,” he wrote in another post.
In addition to referencing the Strait of Hormuz, Khamenei also called on Iran’s neighbors in the Middle East to “clarify their stance” and urged countries hosting U.S. military bases to shut them down.
Khamenei was selected as supreme leader earlier this week following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a strike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.
The account has drawn criticism from watchdog groups. Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, criticized the decision to allow Khamenei to maintain an account on X. The organization released a report in February finding that accounts bearing the names of Iranian officials, government agencies, and state-run media outlets had received blue check marks, indicating they were subscribers to X’s premium service.
“For the past three years the Tech Transparency Project has repeatedly highlighted how X is profiting from providing premium subscriptions to US sanctioned entities — many linked to terrorism — in apparent violation of US sanctions law,” Paul told CNBC in an email.
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“Now it’s happening with the sanctioned leader of a country the US is actively engaged in war with,” Paul said. Khamenei’s X account carries a blue checkmark reserved for “premium” accounts.
The development comes as the conflict continues to generate global ripple effects. Multiple ships have reportedly been struck in the Persian Gulf, and oil prices have surged amid concerns over the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and gas supply passes.
Mojtaba Khamenei, an Iranian Shiite cleric and political figure, is the second son of Ali Khamenei, who served as Iran’s supreme leader for more than three decades. His recent appointment to the position has drawn international attention, with U.S. President Donald Trump calling the move “unacceptable.”