Social media giant Twitter said it would not allow users to like, respond to, share or retweet abusive tweets, and instead would allow ordinary users to quote tweets that violate this new rule.
The move will help users stay informed about global affairs, but weigh the need to monitor site rules, the company said.
The move follows criticism that the company has taken no action against world leaders who violate its rules.
"When it comes to the actions of world leaders on the Twitter platform, we recognize that this is a fairly new region that has never been dealt with before," Twitter said on Tuesday.
Twitter said last year it would not ban President Donald Trump despite the tweets, including allegations that he had threatened to declare war on North Korea. But in the case of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, one of his tweets has been deleted from the site.
"We want to make it clear today that the calculations of world leaders are not exempted from our publishing policy," the company said. Any user who tweets content that promotes terrorism or "clear and direct" threats of violence or misinformation will be banned.
Twitter explains that in cases involving the tweets of a global leader it would be wrong to leave offending tweets at the top of the list, especially if there is a public audience could be affected.
In such a case, Twitter considers the status of those tweets with a notice that violates the posting rules and allows people to click on them if they want to see the content.
"Our goal is to apply our rules wisely and impartially. By doing so, we aim to provide a first-hand look at the decision-making process to serve the dialogue between the leadership and the people, and to protect the public's right to listen to and hold their leaders accountable," Twitter said in a tweet.