Iranian mobile phone users were briefly able to make international calls on Tuesday, days after authorities imposed sweeping communications restrictions during nationwide protests, residents said.
Several people in Tehran were able to place calls abroad and speak to journalists outside Iran, according to The Associated Press. However, international news agencies said they were unable to return calls to those numbers, suggesting the access was limited or short-lived.
According to Al Jazeera, Text messaging services remained largely unavailable and internet access from inside Iran to the outside world was still blocked, residents said.
Iranian authorities shut down internet services and blocked most international communications on Thursday as protests intensified across the country, a move rights groups and activists say has been used to limit the flow of information and obscure the scale of a security crackdown.
The demonstrations, now in their third week, began over economic grievances but have evolved into broader protests against Iran’s clerical leadership. Human rights groups outside Iran say hundreds of protesters have been killed, though authorities have not released comprehensive casualty figures.
Iranian officials have said the restrictions are necessary to maintain security and prevent what they describe as foreign interference, accusations the United States and its allies deny.
Monitoring groups say Iran has a history of imposing internet blackouts during periods of unrest, drawing international criticism for curbing access to information and communication.
