Iran’s reformist government, under President Masoud Pezeshkian, has officially lifted the country’s ban on WhatsApp and Google Play, a significant move aimed at relaxing internet restrictions for its population of 85 million. The decision was made after a high-level meeting led by Pezeshkian and overcame opposition from hardline factions within the Islamic regime. Telecommunications Minister Sattar Hashemi hailed the development as a major milestone, stating on X: “Today, we took the first step towards lifting internet restrictions by demonstrating unity. This path will continue.”
This change follows Pezeshkian’s refusal to enforce a recently ratified law that would have imposed stricter penalties on women for not adhering to the Islamic dress code. Additionally, his administration has quietly reinstated dozens of university students and professors who had been previously banned from academic roles, signaling a broader movement for reform. Iran’s Islamic government is facing mounting internal and external pressures, including economic challenges and social unrest. Regionally, the collapse of Syria’s government under Bashar al-Assad, a key ally, has added to these strains.
While hardline factions argue that unrestricted internet access can be exploited by foreign adversaries like the US and Israel to wage a “soft war” against the regime, reformists maintain that excessive censorship only heightens public discontent. Pezeshkian, who assumed the presidency in July, campaigned on promises to improve economic and social conditions, including reducing internet censorship and easing dress code laws.
Despite the longstanding bans on platforms like X, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram, many Iranians have bypassed these restrictions through widely available VPNs. Reformist politicians have criticized hardliners for profiting from the VPN market while continuing to enforce these internet bans.
Ali Sharifi Zarchi, a university professor recently reinstated by the government, praised the lifting of the bans as a “positive and hopeful” step but urged that the reforms should not be limited to just these two platforms. “It should not remain limited to these two platforms,” he noted.
