Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has advocated for legal governance of cyberspace. In his first meeting with President Masoud Peshkian’s new government, Khamenei stressed the significance of digital law enforcement. “If you don’t have a law to regulate the internet, set a law, and based on that law, take control,” Khamenei advised the incoming administration to restrict online activity.
Khamenei’s comments contradict President Pezeshkian’s campaign promises to lift Iran’s internet prohibitions. For years, the country has blocked Facebook, X (previously Twitter), WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. After the 2019 gasoline price protests and the 2022 Mahsa Amini death in police detention, these limitations were tightened.
Despite these constraints, many Iranians escape censorship with VPNs. Khamenei also cited France’s arrest of Telegram creator Pavel Durov as an example of digital regulation in other countries. Iran has said WhatsApp and Instagram can only operate in the country if they have a legal agent. Khamenei’s latest move may escalate Iran’s cyber-regulation issue.
