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Latest Middle East: Social platform X suspends new account in name of Iran’s supreme leader
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Latest Middle East: Social platform X suspends new account in name of Iran’s supreme leader

Social platform X has suspended a new account in the name of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who posted messages in Hebrew.

The account was suspended early Monday, with a brief note attached to it that read: “X suspends accounts that violate X’s rules.” It was not immediately clear what the violation was. The social media company owned by Elon Musk did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

The move came after Israel openly attacked Iran for the first time this weekend. Khamenei said in a speech on Sunday that Israel strikes — in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack this month — “should not be exaggerated or downplayed,” while stopping short of calling for revenge.

The X account was opened on Sunday with a message in Hebrew: “In the name of God, the Most Merciful,” a standard Islamic greeting.

Khamenei’s office has maintained multiple accounts for the supreme leader on X, 85, for years and has sent messages in multiple languages ​​in the past.

A second message corresponded to a speech given by Khamenei on Sunday and was posted on his English account as: “The Zionists are making a miscalculation regarding Iran. They don’t know Iran. They have yet to properly understand the strength, initiative and determination of the Iranian people.” The message referred to Israel’s attack on Iran on Saturday.

This is not the first time Khamenei has seen a suspension or removal from social media. In February, Meta removed the Facebook and Instagram accounts for the Supreme Leader over his support for the militant group Hamas after its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Social media platforms like X and Facebook have been blocked in Iran for years, requiring Iranians to use virtual private networks to access them.

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Here are the latest:

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Monday afternoon at Iran’s request regarding Israel’s airstrikes against the country.

Switzerland, which holds the council’s rotating presidency, announced the meeting on Sunday and said Iran’s request was supported by Russia, China and Algeria, the council’s Arab representative.

TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country will respond to Israel “appropriately” after Israel openly attacked Iranian military sites for the first time this weekend.

“We are not looking for war, but we will defend the rights of our nation and our country and respond appropriately to the aggression of the Zionist regime,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by state television on Sunday.

Pezeshkian also said the US had promised Iran it would stop the war in Gaza and Lebanon if Iran restrained itself. “They promised to end the war in response to our detention, but they didn’t keep their word,” he said.

The Iranian president also warned that tensions would escalate if Israel’s aggression continued, adding: “We know that the United States encourages Israel to commit these atrocities.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran announced Sunday that a civilian had been killed in Israel’s attack on the country, without providing details on the circumstances of his death.

State news agency IRNA identified the dead man as Allahverdi Rahimpour and said he lived in a suburban area in southwestern Tehran.

Although it did not give details of what he was doing or where he was killed, IRNA said he was not a member of the Iranian armed forces.

Iran has provided few details about the attack and the damage it caused so far.