Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

World

The Latest: Iran state TV says Instagram, Telegram blocked

Associated Press
Published | Updated
  • 3cb81043-
    Image 1 of 2

  • 089c14f0-
    Image 2 of 2

TEHRAN, Iran – The Latest on protests in Iran (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

Iran state TV is reporting that authorities have blocked Instagram and the messaging app Telegram.

State TV's website reported the decision Sunday, citing an anonymous source who said it was "in line with maintaining peace and security of the citizens."

The source said: "With a decision by the Supreme National Security Council, activities of Telegram and Instagram are temporarily limited."

Telegram's CEO previously said the app had been blocked for the majority of Iranians.

Facebook, which owns Instagram, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

___

3:45 p.m.

The CEO of Telegram says Iran is "blocking access ... for the majority of Iranians" after protesters used the popular messaging app to plan and publicize demonstrations.

CEO Pavel Durov made the announcement on Twitter Sunday.

Iranians said the app is now inaccessible by mobile phone networks.

The Telegram app has been used to share videos of the protests, the largest since 2009, and times for new rallies.

Users said Sunday that they could no longer access the app via cellphone networks, though it was still available via Wifi and home internet connections.

Iranian media also reported the disruption.

The Iranian government did not immediately comment.

___

10 a.m.

A semi-official news agency in Iran has quoted a government official as saying two protesters were killed at a rally overnight.

The Mehr news agency reported Sunday that the two protesters were killed in Doroud, in Iran's Lorestan province.

Mehr quoted Habibollah Khojastepour, the security deputy of Lorestan's governor, as saying an illegal gathering in Doroud took place on Saturday night and ignited clashes.

He said "two of our dear Doroudi citizens were killed," without elaborating on the cause of death.

Protests in Iran began Thursday in Mashhad over economic issues. The protests have expanded to cities across the Islamic Republic in the days since.

Dozens have been arrested since the protests began.