Boroujerdi: Telegram is a Security Threat

Despite widespread reactions to previous statements by Aladdin Boroujerdi, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament regarding blocking the Telegram messaging app, he defended the filtering of Telegram on Sunday, April 1, calling it a "threat to national security." In an interview with the "House of the Nation" news agency, Boroujerdi stated without providing details: "Part of the threats to the country's security occur on Telegram." This senior parliament member claimed that Telegram's information is used by Britain, Germany, and Israel, citing the nationwide protests in December as an example of the "anti-security" use of Telegram. However, he mentioned that the decision to block this messaging app would ultimately be made by the Supreme National Security Council or the Supreme Council of Cyberspace. Boroujerdi had stated a day earlier that Telegram would be blocked in Iran "by the end of April," and this decision was made at the "highest level" of the system. A few weeks ago, some Telegram channels reported that the Supreme Leader criticized the unblocking of Telegram in a meeting with members of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace and called for its re-blocking. Government officials and the Supreme Leader's office did not respond to this report. Nevertheless, Boroujerdi's statements on Saturday faced widespread reactions from political figures, including two members of the National Security Commission, as well as numerous internet users. Some critics, including Ahmad Mazani, a parliament member, called Boroujerdi's remarks "a disgrace to the parliament," while others, such as Hamid Rasai, a former parliament member and member of the Stability Front, defended the blocking of Telegram and called for "strengthening the national information network." The topic of using domestic messaging apps was reiterated in Boroujerdi's Sunday remarks. However, the idea of using domestic messaging apps has recently become a source of humor for many users on social media, with references to the monitoring of these apps by security agencies. In response to the massive messages from users, Boroujerdi was forced to block the comments section on his Instagram page. Meanwhile, several Iranian media outlets, including the Entekhab website and Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper, published new remarks from the Minister of Communications regarding social networks. According to these reports, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, stated at a ceremony on Sunday: "The government is committed to the promises made to the people and will definitely pursue these promises." However, he emphasized that "the government also needs the cooperation of other branches and institutions." In December, during the early days of nationwide protests in Iran, Telegram and Instagram networks were blocked, and security forces arrested several social media operators. However, after the unrest subsided, these two networks were unblocked again. Subsequently, some officials of the Islamic Republic announced that blocking Telegram would lead to the destruction of many businesses. For instance, Mohammad Reza Badamchi, a parliament member, stated that blocking Telegram would harm 200,000 jobs and disrupt the financial lives of half a million people. Telegram is one of the most popular social networks in Iran, with over 40 million Iranian users.