Report: Sanctioned Iranian Officials Get X Premium Benefits Amid Protester Crackdown
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 12, 2026
Contact: Michael Clauw, mclauw@campaignforaccountability.org, 202.780.5750
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Elon Musk has signaled support for the recent anti-government protests in Iran. But a new Tech Transparency Project (TTP) investigation shows that his platform, X, appears to be providing premium service to an array of Iranian officials and state-controlled media organizations that have been targeted by U.S. sanctions.
TTP’s investigation uncovered more than two dozen X accounts associated with Iranian government officials and organizations that displayed a blue checkmark—typically indicating a paid subscription fee to receive premium perks. Many of these accounts have been using X to spread Iranian government messages and propaganda about the protests, with one official posting, “This time, we will show no mercy to the rioters.”
In providing premium perks to these accounts, X appears to be violating U.S. sanctions, which prohibit U.S. companies from engaging in transactions with sanctioned entities unless they have an exemption or prior authorization. The practice also appears to violate X’s own policy, which explicitly prohibits users subject to OFAC sanctions from using its paid services, including premium.
This apparent disregard for U.S. sanctions is a pattern for X. Previous TTP reports have highlighted how the platform has provided premium service to sanctioned officials in Iran and sanctioned leaders of Iranian proxy groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthi rebels.
“X has shown repeatedly that sanctions compliance is not a top priority. Even with Iranian government officials—currently the target of a U.S. ‘maximum pressure’ campaign—X is still failing to perform basic due diligence,” said Michelle Kuppersmith, Executive Director of Campaign for Accountability, the nonprofit watchdog group that runs TTP.
Campaign for Accountability is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog organization that uses research, litigation, and aggressive communications to expose misconduct and malfeasance in public life and hold those who act at the expense of the public good accountable for their actions.