Facebook page critical of Anwar's 'Trump dance' not linked to Iranian govt, says embassy

The government of Iran has distanced itself from several posts by a widely followed Facebook page criticising Malaysia for the way President Donald Trump was welcomed by the Malaysian government on Oct 26.

In a statement, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kuala Lumpur said the "Iran Military" Facebook page was not linked to the government.

"This page in cyberspace has no connection with the Iranian army and military forces, and any connection of this site with Iranian government institutions and military forces is denied," Ebrahim Saeidi, First Counselor of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kuala Lumpur, told MalaysiaNow.

On Tuesday, MalaysiaNow reported that the "Iran Military" Facebook page, which boasts more than two million followers worldwide, shared a clip of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim joining Trump in a dance shortly after the latter landed at KLIA.

"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.

The "Iran Military" Facebook page describes itself as "Independent Media", and that it provides "latest military news and analysis on Iran and beyond from diverse sources".

Platforms such as 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.