ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iran’s information and communications technology minister on Tuesday ordered an “urgent” investigation into the use of so-called white SIM cards, which are not subject to the country’s social media restrictions, by state-affiliated figures, saying the probe’s results will be shared with the public. 

In November, the social media platform X flagged the locations of account users, revealing that some Iranian accounts belonging to state-affiliated figures were active from inside the country. The update showed that these accounts may be accessing banned platforms in Iran using so-called “white SIM cards” - privileged mobile lines exempt from state restrictions. 

It prompted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to say “I ordered the white SIM cards to be blackened” in a Sunday speech, with Information and Communications Technology Minister Sattar Hashemi on Tuesday ordering an investigation into the matter, the state broadcaster IRIB reported. 

“In light of the explicit directive of the honorable President regarding access to the so-called 'White SIM cards,' which resulted from past blocking policies and has had a negative public response, it is appropriate that you ensure the matter is addressed urgently,” Hashemi said in his letter to the Supreme Council of the National Cyberspace Center.

In Iran, access to international online services is restricted under the User Protection Bill (Tarhe-Sianat), which was passed by parliament in 2021. The bill was initially approved but later revoked due to unclear procedural issues, though the majority of social media platforms remain banned.

The news has drawn widespread national criticism, as the majority of internet users in the Islamic republic can only access state-restricted international platforms by paying monthly fees to use virtual private networks (VPNs).

Hashemi further pledged to release the results of the investigation to the public. 

In December 2024, Iran lifted bans on two major international online platforms after Pezeshkian introduced a new approach to social media restrictions amid rising public dissatisfaction.

The Islamic republic widely uses internet crackdowns and restrictions on international online platforms, especially during periods of heightened tensions and protests, to control the flow of news.

During the nationwide Jin Jiyan Azadi (‘Women Life Freedom) protests in September 2022, which erupted after the death of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, a young Kurdish woman from Saqqez in western Iran (Rojhelat) in police custody, the Iranian government tightened its crackdown on the Internet. 

This followed a similar week-long internet shutdown during the 2019 protests, infamously known as “Bloody November.”