Instagram accounts of IRGC commanders blocked

The Instagram accounts of several commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been blocked, with the photo-sharing website saying it was complying with US sanctions, AFP reported Tuesday (April 16th).

The US on April 8th announced it had designated the IRGC as a terrorist group.

Iran’s Tabnak news website said Instagram had blocked the accounts of IRGC commanders Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari and Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri and IRGC Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Access to Soleimani's account, working last week, was denied Tuesday.

"Sorry, this page is not available," read a message on the account. "The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed."

Contacted by AFP, an Instagram spokesperson said the company was operating "under the constraints of US sanctions laws".

"We work with appropriate government authorities to ensure we meet our legal obligations, including those relating to the recent designation of the IRGC," the spokesperson added.

Iran's Telecommunications Minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi appeared to reference Instagram's move in a Tuesday social media post.

Facebook, Twitter and the Telegram messenger service are banned in Iran, making Instagram the only major social media service accessible in the country without the use of a virtual private network (VPN), to bypass censorship.

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