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The reformist government of President Masoud Pezeshkian has lifted Iran’s ban on WhatsApp and Google Play, a first step towards easing internet restrictions in the country of 85 million people.
Iranian media said a high-level meeting chaired by the president on Tuesday overcame resistance from hardliners within the Islamic regime as the government seeks to ease pressure on civil society.
“Today, in a show of solidarity, we took the first step towards lifting internet restrictions, and we will continue on this path,” Iranian Telecommunications Minister Sattar Hashemi wrote to X.
The move comes after Ms Pezeshkian refused to implement a hijab law recently ratified by a hardline parliament that would have imposed harsher penalties on women who do not abide by a strict dress code.
The country’s government has also quietly reinstated dozens of university students and professors who had previously been banned from studying or teaching.
The Islamic regime is grappling with growing economic, political and social pressures at home and across the Middle East, particularly after the unexpected collapse of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime, which was a key regional ally.
The government has a long history of overcoming crises and maintaining power. But a convergence of domestic and international challenges has raised questions about whether the leadership will respond by tightening its control over its people or embrace reform.
Hardliners say the internet is a tool used by adversaries such as the United States and Israel to wage a “soft war” against the Islamic Republic. Reformers argue that repression will only exacerbate public discontent.
Pezeshkian, who won the presidential election in July, campaigned on promises to improve economic and social conditions, with particular emphasis on relaxing dress regulations for women and lifting internet censorship.
Although hardliners had imposed restrictions on platforms such as X, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram, Iranians continued to access these platforms through VPNs, which are widely available in the domestic market.
Pro-reform politicians have called hard-liners hypocritical, claiming that some of them are enforcing internet censorship while profiting from the sale of VPNs through alleged ties to companies that offer them. He blames it.
Pro-reform university professor Ali Sharifi Zarsi, who recently returned to his post, said Tuesday’s decision was a “first step” that was “positive and hopeful.” However, he added, “You shouldn’t be limited to these two platforms.”
