Apps still blocked
Iranian officials have in the past called for the foreign companies that own popular international apps to introduce representative offices in Iran.
Meta, the American giant that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has said it had no intention of setting up offices in the Islamic republic, which remains under US sanctions.
Iranians have over the years grown accustomed to using virtual private networks, or VPNs, to bypass internet restrictions.
Other popular social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube remain blocked after being banned in 2009.
Telegram was also banned by a court order in April 2018.
Instagram and WhatsApp were added to the list of blocked applications following nationwide protests that erupted after the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini.
Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, was arrested for an alleged breach of Iran’s dress code for women.
Hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, were killed in the subsequent months-long nationwide protests and thousands of demonstrators were arrested.
Pezeshkian, who took office in July, had vowed during his campaign to ease the long-standing internet restrictions.
Iran has introduced in the past several years domestic applications to supplant popular foreign ones.
For navigation there are Neshan and Balad, and for ride-hailing people can use Snapp! or Tapsi. Bale, Ita, Rubika and Soroush were introduced as local messaging apps that can also be used for making calls.