Iran’s ICT Minister: Any Bid to Obstruct Free Access to Information a Nonstarter

As per a judicial order issued on Tuesday, Telegram has been blocked in Iran. Since then mobile Internet users’ access to the services has been barred and landline subscribers have been experiencing disrupted communications.
Without mentioning the blockage, the government of President Hassan Rouhani issued a statement on Dolat.ir outlining the administration’s policies in regard to cyberspace.
The statement acknowledges fast, inexpensive access to information as an undeniable civil right and names enabling people to choose their preferred mode of communications and standing against blocking services as the government’s responsibility. Furthermore, preserving citizens’ privacy is mentioned as a top priority.  
Later Rouhani’s top ICT man, Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi, took to Twitter to say, “Even if a single application is blocked, citizens’ access to information cannot be obstructed. Other applications will emerge and people will gain free access to information again. This is in the nature of the current era, the age of communications.”