Iran\'s ICT Minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi

Iranian Minister of Communication and Information Technology Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi has issued a public apology for unintended consequences of near-total disconnection of Internet in the aftermath of petrol hike riots.

In a video message on social media networks, the minister said he was informed of the problems faced by people in the wake of a one-week shut-down of the world wide web which was put in effect to restore law and order in riot-hit places.

Jahromi said his colleagues were working hard to minimize the effects of limitations and to secure the general public's interests by restoring Internet access for journalists and reporters, banks, e-hailing taxi services, universities, etc.

The US Treasury Department has put Azari Jahromi on its self-declared list of sanctions under the pretext 'censorship and denial of access to the internet'.

"The US government's record in exerting pressure on companies and social network managers, including Twitter, to block access to dissenting voices indicates that its approach to a free Internet is politically motivated," Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said condemning the US move.

Jahromi mocked the sanctions against himself and vowed that he would not allow US officials to halt Iran's development.

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