Elon Musk’s X Platform Profits from Iranian Officials Amid Protest Crackdown

In a striking contradiction between public rhetoric and private business dealings, new evidence suggests that Elon Musk’s social media platform X has been monetizing Iranian government accounts while the company’s leadership vocally supports anti-regime protesters in Iran.

According to an exclusive report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) shared with WIRED, more than two dozen X accounts allegedly operated by Iranian government officials, state agencies, and state-run media outlets display blue verification checkmarks—indicating they’ve paid for X’s premium service. These accounts have been actively spreading state-sponsored propaganda during a period when ordinary Iranians were completely cut off from internet access due to government-imposed blackouts.

The timing is particularly significant. As mass protests erupted across Iran in late December and early January over economic collapse and currency devaluation, the Iranian regime responded with brutal crackdowns, arresting tens of thousands and killing thousands of demonstrators. The true death toll remains unknown but could exceed 30,000 according to some estimates.

While President Trump threatened military action against Iran and Musk publicly denounced Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as “delusional,” X appears to have been providing these same officials with enhanced platform features. Premium subscriptions, which cost $8 monthly for basic verification or $40 for Premium+ with ad-free browsing and amplified reach, would allow government accounts to artificially boost their content’s visibility and engagement—precisely the tools needed to counter protest messaging during internet blackouts.

“The fact that Elon Musk is not just platforming these individuals, but taking their money to boost their content through these premium subscriptions and give them extra features also means he’s undermining the sanctions that the US and the Trump administration are actually applying,” explains Katie Paul, director of TTP.

This creates a profound contradiction: Musk positioned himself as a champion of Iranian protesters by offering free Starlink satellite internet access during the blackout, yet his platform simultaneously enriched and empowered the very regime suppressing those same protesters. The selective enforcement becomes even more apparent when considering that X quickly removed blue checkmarks from several Iranian official accounts after WIRED flagged them—suggesting the company possessed the capability to identify and restrict sanctioned entities but chose not to do so proactively.

The Treasury Department, which oversees sanctions enforcement, declined to comment on specific allegations but stated it “take[s] allegations of sanctionable conduct extremely seriously.” Meanwhile, X has not responded to multiple requests for comment regarding how sanctioned Iranian officials were able to access premium features or whether the company conducted any due diligence before accepting their payments.

The situation raises serious questions about corporate responsibility in geopolitical conflicts. By providing state actors with tools to amplify propaganda and reach global audiences, X may have inadvertently undermined U.S. foreign policy objectives while profiting from the very regime its leadership claims to oppose. As tensions between the U.S. and Iran remain high, with Trump administration officials warning of potential military action, the apparent hypocrisy of supporting protesters publicly while monetizing their oppressors privately represents a troubling disconnect in corporate conduct during international crises.

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