Iran has reinstated access to WhatsApp and Google Play after more than two years of restrictions, according to a report by the official IRNA news agency on Tuesday.
The decision was made by the Supreme Council of Cyber Space during a meeting led by reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has pledged to ease social media restrictions.
Telecommunication Minister Sattar Heshemi described the move as a "first step" in lifting online restrictions. He hinted at the possibility of restoring access to more platforms in the future.
Residents in Tehran and other cities confirmed they could access the services on computers, although mobile access was not yet available.
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WhatsApp ranks as Iran’s third most popular messaging app, following Instagram and Telegram.
The platforms were initially blocked in 2022 during widespread protests over the death of a woman detained by morality police for allegedly breaching the country’s strict dress code. The unrest subsided in 2023 after a harsh government crackdown, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests.
Iran has a history of restricting social media access, but many citizens bypass these bans using proxies and VPNs.