TEHRAN, Nov 24 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry, on Saturday, condemned the U.S. fresh move, to sanction the Iranian minister of information and communications technology (ICT).
U.S. Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, announced sanctions on the Iranian Minister, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, over what he called, Jahromi’s alleged role in the “wide-scale Internet censorship” in Iran, following recent wave of violence pertaining to the gas price hike in the country.
“We are sanctioning Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, for restricting Internet access, including to popular messaging applications, that help tens of millions of Iranians stay connected to each other and the outside world,” Mnuchin said.
In a reaction, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, said, “It is clear to everyone that the current U.S. administration places no value on democratic principles and values, transparency and human rights, including free (access to the) Internet.”
A review of the U.S. administration’s record shows that directors of major social networks and communication companies, such as Twitter, have been pressured into silencing the critics, Mousavi said, adding that, such a policy reveals Washington’s “political and instrumental” approach to free Internet access.– NNN-IRNA