Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf dismissed reports that the government had reached an agreement with Telegram to restore access to the banned messaging app, calling the claims false, state media reported on Sunday.
Ghalibaf said any foreign platform seeking to operate in Iran must comply with domestic laws and regulations set by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace.
“If a platform does not accept internal regulations, it will not receive a license,” he told parliament after a lawmaker said the administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian had signed an agreement with Telegram that had yet to be reviewed by the council.
Under existing policy, a nine-member committee oversees whether foreign platforms adhere to Iranian cyber regulations, including cooperation with judicial authorities and removal of content deemed threatening to national security or public morals.
The reports of a Telegram deal surfaced after the Mehr news agency said Tehran had outlined conditions for lifting the app’s years-long ban, including blocking posts that incite ethnic tensions and assisting the judiciary with user data requests.
Telegram, which has been blocked since 2018 following anti-government protests, remains widely used through virtual private networks despite restrictions.
The alleged talks prompted criticism in parliament, where lawmakers warned that any agreement with Telegram must first be approved by the legislative body. One MP threatened to seek the impeachment of the communications minister if a deal were concluded without parliamentary consent.
