Iran
Iran's envoy to Iraq: 'Iranian retaliation for Haniyeh's death imminent'
Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Mohammad al-Sadeq said that Iran's retaliation following the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was imminent.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has imposed some of the strictest controls on internet access in the world, said on Tuesday that cyberspace needed to be regulated, citing the arrest of messaging app Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France as an example of how other countries also imposed controls.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian and his cabinet in Tehran, Iran, August 27, 2024. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has imposed some of the strictest controls on internet access in the world, said on Tuesday that cyberspace needed to be regulated, citing the arrest of messaging app Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France as an example of how other countries also imposed controls.
"There need to be laws to regulate cyberspace. Everyone does it. Look at the French, they arrested this man and threatened him with 20 years in prison for breaching their laws," Khamenei said during a meeting with relatively moderate President Masoud Pezeshkian and his cabinet.
The Islamic Republic has some of the strictest internet controls in the world but its blocks on U.S.-based social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are routinely bypassed by tech-savvy Iranians using virtual private networks (VPNs).
Russian-born Durov, also a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, was arrested in Paris as part of an investigation into crimes related to sexual abuse of children, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform, French prosecutors said on Monday.
His platform is blocked in the Islamic Republic.
Iran regularly charges internet users based on posts they shared online.
"Some do not understand or do not want to understand, but I have already said before that virtual space needs to be regulated in order to be turned into an opportunity and not a threat," Khamenei added.
During presidential debates, Pezeshkian criticised internet filtering, notably for its impact on the country's economy as many small businesses depend on social media.
Iran ranked third globally in the number of times it shut down the internet in 2023, according to the digital rights group Access Now.
This included shutting down mobile networks, both nationally and in targeted areas, while also blocking access to Instagram and WhatsApp, the only two major platforms not already subject to outright bans, Access Now said.
Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Alex Richardson
Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Mohammad al-Sadeq said that Iran's retaliation following the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was imminent.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Friday it had terminated proceedings against late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh following his death in July.
Any Iranian transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia would mark a sharp escalation in the Ukraine war, the United States said on Friday, following reports that the two countries had deepened ties in recent weeks with such an arms transfer.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.