13 hours ago
Internet outages, official calls to delete WhatsApp in Iran
Shafaq News/ Broad internet outages affected several Iranian provinces on Tuesday, according to media reports. News channels reported that users across various regions experienced extensive service disruptions, while other areas faced significant slowdowns in internet speed.
In the capital, Tehran, users reported major outages and a marked decline in connection quality since morning.
Earlier, Government spokesperson Fatima Mohajerani stated that the decision to reduce internet speed was a temporary measure aimed at countering cyberattacks targeting the country's digital infrastructure.
'The step was necessary to secure network systems and protect user data,' She said during a press conference, emphasizing that normal speeds would resume once the security threats subside.
She underlined the government's commitment to providing stable and secure internet services for all citizens, affirming that all necessary measures were being taken to confront electronic threats.
Meanwhile, Iran's state broadcaster accused the messaging app WhatsApp of collecting information for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency and urged users to delete the application.
The call followed the reinstatement of a ban on WhatsApp in Iran after Israeli airstrikes targeted locations inside the country, local media reported.
Iranian MP Hamid Rasaei had called for 'strict and immediate' action to protect senior military commanders and nuclear scientists, proposing collecting the mobile phones of these individuals, along with those of their families and associates, as a precaution against security breaches that could lead to assassinations.
Fars News Agency reported earlier that Israel uses mobile phone tracking technologies, even when devices are turned off, to locate and assassinate Iranian military leaders, officials, and nuclear experts.
Iranian authorities had lifted the ban on WhatsApp in December 2024 as part of efforts to ease internet restrictions. However, the recent security escalation led to the reimposition of those limits.
