Iranian Minister Apologizes over Social Media Restrictions

In a Tuesday post in his Twitter account, Azari Jahromi said, “I feel duty-bound to apologize to hundreds of thousands of my compatriots who have incurred losses due to the existing conditions,” he noted, referring to the “temporary” restrictions imposed on Telegram messaging app and Instagram.
“As one of its plans to counter the issue of unemployment, the government has supported, and will support the development of start-ups and reinforcement of the cyberspace.”
“Now that peace is being restored, we are negotiating with the Supreme National Security Council to have the restrictions removed,” he added.
Many start-ups have grown in Iran since a few years ago, and most of them depend on such social media and messaging apps for their business.
Following an outbreak of unrest in Iran over economic woes, the Iranian government decided to block the two apps mostly used by the protesters and rioters to coordinate their activities.
However, the state TV (IRIB) says the temporary bans are aimed at ensuring peace and security across the country.
Several Iranian cities have been the scene of anti-government street protests in recent days. The early protests demanded a better economic situation and better living conditions, but sporadic violence has erupted during the protests, causing a number of casualties. Officials believe the riots are being fuelled by foreign countries including Saudi Arabia, the US, and Israel.