YouTube Channels Linked to Sanctioned Iranian Entities Ran Ads From Subaru, Verizon, KFC

A Tech Transparency Project review identified 84 YouTube channels that appear to be run by entities sanctioned by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. All 84 channels displayed ads, including in-feed, in-stream, and YouTube Shorts formats. The researchers documented ads for Subaru, Verizon, TurboTax, Ozempic, and KFC on the channels.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection appeared on a video from Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts. U.S. economic sanctions who reviewed the research, stated that the channel holders include Iranian individuals and entities sanctioned under counterterrorism, nonproliferation, human rights abuses, or Iranian government programs.

U.S. forces in the region; and Naji Sharifi Zindashti, accused of targeting Iranian dissidents abroad for assassination, including two residents of Maryland. Al-Mustafa International University, sanctioned in 2020 for indoctrinating and recruiting foreign intelligence sources, maintains at least four YouTube channels.

’ film They Will Kill You. Iran’s Counterterrorism Special Forces unit, accused of using lethal force on unarmed protesters, and Iran’s state broadcaster Fars News Agency also operated channels that showed ads. Most of the channels have operated for many years and accumulated millions of views.

YouTube was officially banned in Iran in 2012. Google’s publisher policies state that ad tools may not be used for or on behalf of parties in Iran. In 2024, YouTube shut down an account associated with Iran’s foreign ministry and stated that Iran’s state-owned channels are not permitted on the platform.

Google spokesperson Nate Funkhouser stated that Google is committed to compliance with applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws and takes appropriate action if an account violates policies. Google did not respond to questions about whether the accounts listed in the report were receiving a share of the ad revenue.