Trump declares war on Iran
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X's bias exposed: X blocking Iran, while shielding IsraelRecent internal data shared by X’s product lead, Nikita Bier, has thrust the platform’s moderation practices into the spotlight. During recent escalation against Iran, the platform filtered out a staggering 99.1% of accounts from Iran as "bots" or invalid, leaving only 0.9% considered legitimate.The graph, covering the last seven days of February 2026, reveals a dramatic spike in blocked accounts precisely as regional tensions intensified — raising questions about whether platform moderation is being weaponised along geopolitical lines. Israeli bot network manipulating X Recently obtained documents reveal a massive digital influence operation deploying tens of thousands of fake accounts on X to promote Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last shah.
The campaign systematically manipulated platform algorithms to push the hashtag #KingRezaPahlavi into trending lists, artificially creating the illusion of broad grassroots support for Israel's puppet.
One network of 4,765 accounts reportedly generated over 843 million posts, while another cluster of 11,421 accounts produced 1.7 billion likes to artificially inflate pro-Pahlavi content.
These numbers represent one of the most expansive artificial engagement operations ever documented on the platform — yet, X has taken no visible action against these accounts. Selective approach to bot enforcementElon Musk has repeatedly stated that fighting “vast armies of bots” is a priority, even proposing monthly subscription fees. Yet enforcement is uneven and politically skewed:
Iranian accounts — subject to US sanctions that restrict access to global payment systems — are uniquely vulnerable to any paywall mechanism, severely constraining their ability to authenticate.
Pro‑Israeli political networks, with access to global payment rails, appear to operate largely unfettered.
Researchers have also documented these networks interfering in political discourse, including flooding polls by US Congressman Thomas Massie to create false impressions of support for war with Iran, despite the positions being unpopular among American voters.This constitutes clear foreign influence campaigns targeting US democratic processes. Platform's double standardX's moderation policies show a troubling pattern: accounts linked to Iranian state actors face sustained pressure and suspension campaigns.
Yet, massive bot networks serving Israeli strategic interests remain active.
When activists gathered over 27,000 signatures petitioning to ban Ayatollah Khamenei’s account, X suspended only a single affiliated account, leaving the Israeli network untouched.
The platform’s bot-fighting claims appear increasingly selective — punishing one side while enabling another.Chat | GG Movies channel | Boost us!