Iran lifts ban on Telegram

Iran lifted the ban on messaging app Telegram Saturday night, according to Iranian media.

The Iranian semi-official news agency, ILNA, reported the lift and the country’s communications minister, Mohammed Jawad Azeri, has confirmed it.

Iran shut down both Telegram, which has over 40 million users in the country, and the picture-sharing app Instagram in late December after anti-government protests spread across the country.

Some of the demonstrations turned violent and at least 22 people died in connection to the protests. Iranian officials said the rioters were using both apps to spread unrest in the country.

Responding to the initial block, founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov explained that they had suspended the account of one channel that had violated its non-violence rules.

He condemned the complete block on the app, however, saying they would “rather get blocked in a country by its authorities than limit peaceful expression of alternative opinions.”

About 100,000 people lost their jobs because of the social media restrictions, according to President Hassan Rouhani, as companies who used the apps for sales and marketing were hit by the block.