Syrian President’s Account Blocked on Instagram

When Instagram started banning members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards from its platform, they explained that they were legally obliged to under US law because the Trump Administration declared the guards a “foreign terrorist organization.”

Less clear is what happened to the official account of the office of the Syrian presidency, as Syrian officials issued a statement Tuesday claiming Instagram had blocked that account without notice and without explanation.

This is potentially a much bigger deal than the Iranian accounts, which were personal accounts of members of Iran’s military. The Syrian account is an official account run by the Assad government, and often used for official statements to the public and the international community.

Syrian officials speculated this is part of a “growing siege” the US is trying to impose on Syria as the war moves closer to ending, calling it a “soft war” being waged instead.