TEHRAN – Twitter has defended its decision not to block or restrict tweets by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office against Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Ylwa Pettersson, Twitter’s head policy for the Nordic countries and Israel, said the tweets posted by Ayatollah Khamenei’s account do not violate the company’s rules.

Pettersson made the comments while speaking to the Israeli parliament (Knesset)’s Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs via video-conference on Wednesday.

“We have an approach toward leaders that says that direct interactions with fellow public figures, comments on political issues of the day, or foreign policy saber-rattling on military-economic issues are generally not in violation of our rules,” she said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has said that Twitter is violating sanctions on Iran by providing Ayatollah Khamenei with account services.

In a tweet on Thursday, Cruz also said that he has urged U.S. Attorney General William Barr to open a criminal investigation into the alleged violations including “antisemitic vitriol and hatred against America”.

Ayatollah Khamenei’s office has on many occasions posted tweets condemning the Israeli regime for its crimes, including appropriating Palestinian lands, and disregard for international law.

The Leader has urged an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian land. But the mainstream Western media outlets claim that Iran wants the elimination of Jewish people.

This is despite the fact that Ayatollah Khamenei has clearly differentiated between “elimination” of the Zionist regime and what has been promoted by the West as Iran’s ill-intention towards Jews.

“Eliminating the Zionist regime doesn’t mean eliminating Jews. We aren’t against Jews. It means abolishing the imposed regime & Muslim, Christian & Jewish Palestinians choose their own govt & expel thugs like Netanyahu. This is ‘Eliminating Israel’ & it will happen,” the Leader’s office said in a tweet in May 2020.

MH/PA