Internet shutdown disrupts work of Russian Embassy in Iran
Russian diplomatic mission's press officer Andrei Ganenko said that the Internet shutdown, which lasted for several days, had disrupted the work of the Russian Embassy in Iran, reports RBC.
"There was no normal communication with Moscow. Therefore, there was no possibility to issue visas for Iranian citizens as usual," he said. Ganenko noted that currently, everything is restored, and the Embassy operates as usual.
Earlier, RIA Novosti reported, citing Ganenko, that the Internet at the Embassy was turned on November 20-21 after Russian diplomats sent a note to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Ganenko said that the Internet was turned on in several embassies earlier, as they had requested that.
According to Al Jazeera, the decision to restrict Internet access was made by the Iranian Supreme National Security Council following the widespread protests that started in early October, when the Iranian authorities decided to introduce quotas for gasoline and raise its prices.
According to the Netblocks.org, on November 16, a large-scale Internet failure was recorded in Iran. The shutdown affected Iran's largest mobile operators, including MCI, Rightel, and IranCell. On November 23, Netblocks.org reported that Internet was restored partially in most of the country.