Iran has decided to allow its citizens to use WhatsApp again after banning the popular messaging app for more than two years, according to state media reports.
“The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play was removed by unanimous vote of the members of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace,” Iran’s official news agency IRNA announced on Tuesday.
“Today, we took the first step towards lifting internet restrictions with unanimity and consensus,” Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The decision has sparked debate in Iran. Presidential adviser Ali Rabiei supported lifting the ban, saying, “The restrictions have achieved nothing but anger and added costs to people’s lives.”
Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif also backed the move, stating, “President Masoud Pezeshkian believes in removing restrictions and does not consider the bans to be in the interest of the people and the country.”
However, some lawmakers oppose the decision. According to the Shargh newspaper, 136 members of Iran’s 290-member parliament wrote a letter calling the move a “gift to Iran’s enemies.” They want to allow access only if the platforms “comply with the laws of Iran.”
WhatsApp and Instagram were banned in Iran following nationwide protests that began in September 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested for allegedly breaking Iran’s dress code for women.
Other popular social media platforms including Facebook, X, and YouTube remain blocked in Iran since their ban in 2009. Telegram has also been banned since April 2018.
To replace foreign apps, Iran has developed its own alternatives, including Bale, Ita, Rubika, and Soroush for messaging and calls, and Snapp! and Tapsi for ride-hailing services.
The exact date when WhatsApp will become available again in Iran has not yet been announced.
