Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday warned against the “disruption of the public mood” and “worsening unemployment”, in what were his first comments on reports that the Telegram app would be blocked in the country.
He called for breaking the monopoly on social networking sites rather than imposing restrictions on the internet.
“The goal of creating and enhancing Iranian software and messaging apps should not be blocking access [to other apps], but [the goal] should be the elimination of monopolies,” he said.
Telegram users can send messages and exchange photos, videos, stickers, audio and files of any type.
The future of Telegram, the country’s most popular app, sparked a nationwide debate in Iran after Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security Chairman Alaeddin Boroujerdi revealed that it may be banned later this month.
Rouhani urged authorities not to disrupt the “public mood” with talks on internet bans.
“The president said that we shouldn’t make society anxious with these types of actions, and if there is any problem, we should solve it prudently. … We shouldn’t forget that 200,000 job opportunities will be lost by blocking Telegram,” reformist MP Jalal Mirzaei said.
Rouhani urged for a breathing space, as Telegram is believed to be connected to some half a million jobs in Iran, Iranian news agencies reported.
MP Mohammad Reza Badamchi said the ban would harm 500,000 Iranians economically.
Authorities intend to replace Telegram with local applications. Iranian officials opposed to the ban rejected this proposal, saying they "do not trust" these applications over security reasons.
Telegram ranks first among Iranian social media networks with more than 40 million accounts, followed by Instagram. Twitter and Facebook have been banned in the country since the 2009 presidential elections.
The Telegram ban was directly proposed by the High Council for Cyberspace, which is tasked with policy-making on matters related to the internet. Its members are directly appointed by supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
The Council has denied that it proposed the ban.
Telegram played a major role in the popular anti-regime protests that erupted in Iran in December.
Authorities had temporarily blocked the app at the time, but lifted the ban as calm once again returned to the streets in January.
Telegram first came to media attention in 2016 when users affiliated with the Basij forces called for attacking the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
