FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2026

Contact: Michael Clauw, mclauw@campaignforaccountability.org, 202.780.5750

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Trump administration piles new sanctions on Iran amid the ongoing conflict, YouTube is making money off dozens of channels for U.S.-sanctioned Iranian officials and groups, according to a new Tech Transparency Project (TTP) investigation.

TTP found YouTube channels for an Iranian special forces unit accused of using lethal force on protesters, a government advisor who has threatened U.S. troops in the region, a drug trafficker accused of targeting Iranian dissidents for assassination, and more. YouTube ran ads in all of the channels, indicating the platform is generating revenue from them.

Read the report.

“We could find no indication that YouTube has sought special permission to do business with these sanctioned Iranian entities, so the company may be in violation of U.S. sanctions. YouTube should clarify if any money is flowing to these channels, and if so, what the platform will do about it,” said Michelle Kuppersmith, executive director of Campaign for Accountability, which runs TTP.

TTP searched YouTube for officials and organizations connected to the government of Iran, as well as Iranian individuals and groups that have been directly sanctioned by the U.S. as a threat to national security—known as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs). This process yielded 84 YouTube channels, 56 for SDNs and 28 for Iranian government entities.

In the case of SDNs, YouTube may be violating U.S. sanctions by simply providing them with a channel. It may also be engaging in prohibited financial transactions if it is sharing ad revenue with them. TTP could not determine if YouTube is giving these channels a cut of ad revenue because the platform began hiding which creators get payouts in 2023.

Many of the ads that ran in channels identified by TTP were for household brands such as Subaru, Verizon, TurboTax, Liberty Mutual Insurance, and the weight-loss drug Ozempic. In one case, an ad encouraging people to apply for jobs with U.S. Customs and Border Protection ran in a channel for Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage.

Ms. Kuppersmith continued, “YouTube is not only profiting from these channels but also putting the brands at risk of reputational harm by positioning them alongside entities deemed a threat to U.S. national security. If YouTube does not clean up this problem, these companies—and potentially many more—remain at risk.”

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.