Iran Sacks Irancell CEO Over Failure to Enforce Internet Shutdown

Iran Sacks Irancell CEO Over Failure to Enforce Internet Shutdown

Tehran, January 19 — The chief executive of Irancell, Iran’s second-largest mobile phone operator, has been dismissed for failing to fully comply with the government’s decision to shut down internet services during a recent wave of unrest, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

According to the Fars news agency, Alireza Rafiei was removed from his position after authorities accused Irancell of disobeying official orders related to restricting internet access in what the government described as a “crisis situation.”

“Irancell disobeyed the orders of the decision-making institutions in implementing the announced policies regarding the restriction of internet access,” Fars reported, citing official sources. The dismissal was reportedly approved by relevant state institutions for Rafiei’s “failure to comply with the announced rules in crisis situations.”

Iran imposed a near-total communications blackout on January 8, cutting off internet and mobile services nationwide without prior warning. The move came amid growing calls for anti-government protests, initially triggered by a deepening economic crisis.

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Since the shutdown, access to the internet has been extremely limited across the country. However, restrictions began to ease on Sunday, with some foreign websites becoming accessible. AFP journalists in Tehran reported being able to connect to the global internet, though many internet service providers remained blocked and connectivity was inconsistent.

State television said access to Google had been restored on Sunday “via all mobile phone lines and internet service providers,” though the reasons for the partial restoration of services were not immediately clear.

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Iranian authorities have said that internet access will be restored “gradually,” without providing a clear timeline.

Founded in 2005, Irancell is one of Iran’s largest telecom operators and claims to have around 70 million subscribers nationwide.