USA announced this Friday the lifting of some commercial restrictions on Iran to expand Iranians’ access to internet services, which the Islamic Republic government has limited amid strong repression of protesters.
After the death of a young woman detained by the Iranian morality police, which sparked a wave of protests in the country, Tehran has imposed drastic restrictions on the internet, including blocking access to Instagram Y WhatsApp.
“In the face of these decisions, we will help make sure that the people of Iran are not left isolated and left in the dark,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised in a statement.
“This is a concrete step to give meaningful support to Iranians demanding respect for their basic rights,” he added.
Iran has been rocked by protests over the death last week of Mahsa Amini, who died last week after being arrested for wearing the Islamic headscarf “inappropriately”. This 22-year-old Kurdish woman spent three days in a coma after being detained by the morality police.
The move by the Joe Biden administration “will expand the range of internet services available to Iranians. With these changes, we are helping the people of Iran to be better equipped to counter government efforts to monitor and censor them,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury, Wally Adeyemo, in a statement.
The modification of the export license will allow access to software, including antivirus and malware tools, as well as cloud computing and video conferencing services that allow the Iranian people to access “fact-based information,” according to the Treasury.
