Iran army mouthpiece blasts Anwar government for feting 'main supporter of Israel'

Several posts by what appears to be the social media mouthpiece of the Iranian armed forces have strongly criticised the Malaysian government's warm welcome to Donald Trump, in what could likely spark a diplomatic tiff between the two Muslim governments as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces backlash at home over the way he feted the US president.

On Oct 26, the influential "Iran Military" Facebook page, which boasts more than two million followers worldwide, shared a clip of Anwar joining Trump in a dance shortly after the latter landed on Air Force One.

"The Muslim government (!) of Malaysia welcomes Trump, the main supporter of Israel, with dance and music!" read an accompanying statement, which has since received thousands of "likes" and comments.

Another post praised the Malaysian people for protesting Trump's visit.

"Every wrong move by Islamic governments will be faced with the firm will of their people!" it said.

"Our Malaysian brothers and sisters have answered their government’s wrong actions with dignity and courage. Muslims will never remain silent! Not in Malaysia, not anywhere else!" said another post, also attracting a flurry of supportive comments, including from Malaysians.

MalaysiaNow is unable to confirm if the Facebook account is officially run by the Iranian military or the country's defence ministry. 

Checks showed that the page is also linked to widely followed social media platforms such as X, Instagram, and TikTok.

MalaysiaNow has meanwhile reached out to the page administrator, as well as the Iranian embassy in Kuala Lumpur, for a response.

On Facebook, the page is described as "Independent Media", stating it provides "latest military news and analysis on Iran and beyond from diverse sources".

Backed by cutting-edge missiles and drones, the Iranian military is one of the Muslim world's strongest armed forces.

In July, as Iran was drawn into a military conflict with Israel and the US, the page administrators warned of fake social media accounts using the name "Iran Military".

"It's unclear if they're run by enemies or fans! They have faked our profile picture, cover photo, and bio! Suspicious content has been spotted on some of these pages!" it had said.

Facebook and X are officially blocked in Iran, although they are widely accessible through the use of VPNs to bypass the government ban.

The restriction means Iranian Facebook users are unable to obtain the blue checkmark from Meta, which verifies one's identity.

The social media blockage, however, does not stop Iran's government agencies from utilising various platforms, which have acted as channels to speak to a global audience.

Anwar has faced a chorus of condemnation from opposition politicians, rights activists, and Palestinian supporters for inviting Trump to the Asean Summit over the weekend.

However, it was the rapturous celebration welcoming Trump on the airport tarmac that sparked outrage among the Malaysian public, along with a trade deal he signed that critics described as a surrender of sovereignty.

Just minutes after Air Force One landed, Anwar was seen rushing from the summit venue to the airport, where he soon joined Trump, dancing to the beat of an elaborate performance to welcome the US leader.