Iran restores access to WhatsApp and Google Play after they were banned amid protests
Tehran, Dec 25: Iran's government on Tuesday said it had lifted a ban on access to WhatsApp and Google Play after more than two years, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The report said the country's Supreme Council of Cyber Space made the decision in a meeting led by reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has vowed to remove restrictions on social media.
Iran's telecommunication minister Sattar Heshemi in a post on X called the decision a “first step” in removing restrictions and said “the path will continue" — indicating the possibility of unblocking other services.
Many people reached by The Associated Press across the capital, Tehran, and other cities said they had access to the services on computers but not yet on mobile phones.
WhatsApp has been the third most popular messaging platform in Iran after Instagram and Telegram.
The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play was put in place in 2022 during mass protests against the government over the death of a woman held by the country's morality police for allegedly violating the strictly enforced dress code. The protests calmed in 2023 after a crackdown by police and security forces that led to the death of hundreds of people and the imprisonment of thousands.
Iran has blocked access to various social media platforms over the years but many people in the country use proxies and VPNs to access them.
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Fight for Indian democracy: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tells gathering at mega rally against ‘vote theft’
New Delhi: Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has called upon Indians to stand up and fight against the destruction of every democratic institution in the country.
The MP, who was speaking at the much awaited mega rally of the Congress against ‘vote theft’ organized at the Ramlila Maidan in the national capital on Sunday, challenged the ruling party to contest elections without using electronic voting machines (EVMs). “I challenge BJP to contest polls on ballot paper, they know they will never win,” she said.
Blaming the Election Commission (EC) for turning a blind eye to the violation of the model code of conduct during the elections by the BJP, Gandhi Vadra alleged that the EC was thereby hand-in-glove with the ruling party in ‘vote theft’. She asked if shutting eyes to the payment of Rs 10,000 during elections was not an act of ‘vote theft’ by the EC.
Expressing her fury that the elections in the country are not being conducted properly, the Congress leader asked the members and supporters of the Congress not to lose heart over losing the Bihar elections. “The entire country knows that the BJP won it through vote theft’,” she added.
VIDEO | Delhi: Addressing the party’s ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhor’ rally at Ramlila Maidan, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says, “Our voice should reach the PM’s residence. It’s very important to understand that your vote plays an important role. Nehru ji said that the people of… pic.twitter.com/sNu3OOStND
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 14, 2025
