Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Facebook Permanently Bans Iran’s Press TV Over Alleged ‘Policy Violations’

Facebook Permanently Bans Iran’s Press TV Over Alleged ‘Policy Violations’

The big three tech giants and the US government have repeatedly censored Iranian media and officials in recent years, deleting or suspending the accounts of individual politicians, seizing internet domains, blocking news agencies, and eliminating alleged puppet profiles on the basis of possible CIA misinformation.

Facebook has permanently shut down the English-language page of Iran’s Press TV news network, accusing the broadcaster of failing to “follow our Community Standards.”

Attempting to navigate to the page leads users to a notice that reads: “This Page Isn’t Available. The link may be broken, or the page may have been removed. Check to see if the link you’re trying to open is correct.”

Screengrab of PressTV's Facebook page.


Press TV says the California-based social media giant did not provide the broadcaster with any reason for the ban, saying only that it had “already reviewed this decision and it can’t be reversed.”

This is the second time Press TV has come under attack on Facebook this year. In January, the broadcaster’s page was temporarily deleted, also without any warning or explanation, with Facebook citing “safety and security reasons” for the suspension. The social media giant reversed its decision after Press TV filed an appeal. The Iranian network indicated at the time that the attack coincided with its coverage of post-election violence in the US, and that it had nearly four million followers before the ban.

Commenting on Facebook’s decision, Press TV accused the company and other US social media giants of a “blatant double standard,” suggesting that while companies “do not hesitate to silence the voice of Iranian media under the pretext of ‘policy violations,’ they offer a free hand to anti-Muslim hate groups and Iranophobes under the banner of freedom of expression.”

In a related development, Facebook blocked Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s page on Saturday after he shared “misinformation” about Covid-19 by promoting a Venezuelan-made medication which he said could help protect against or even treat the coronavirus. “We follow guidance from the [World Health Organisation] that says there is currently no medication to cure the virus,” the social media company said of the decision, noting that Maduro’s page would remain read-only for 30 days.

Friday’s ban is far from the first time that Iranian officials, media, or government entities have been censored on US-owned media platforms. Earlier this year, one of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s Twitter accounts was suspended after posting a photoshopped image of former president Donald Trump playing golf as a drone flies overhead preparing to “avenge” the murder of Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani.

Last October, the Department of Justice seized 92 Iranian government domains, claiming that they were being “unlawfully used” by the Revolutionary Guard to “engage in a global disinformation campaign.” Before that, Twitter removed over 100 “Iran-linked” accounts supposedly trying to “disrupt the conversation” during the first Biden-Trump debate.

In the summer of 2020, Facebook, Facebook and Twitter labeled multiple Iranian, Chinese and Russian news outlets as “state media,” and blocked them from buying ads targeting US users. The “state media” labels did not apply to the BBC, Deutsche Welle or other government-funded Western news agencies, nor to those accounts funded by the US government, such as Radio Free Europe.

In 2019, Twitter deleted thousands of accounts it alleged were “associated with” the Iranian government, before later admitting it never saw the CIA startup report which led to the ban. The same year, Facebook also deleted accounts belonging to prominent Revolutionary Guard figures under the pretext of US sanctions.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×