Iranian police this evening denied press reports of the wholesale closure of Tehran's internet cafes last week, claiming only 15 had been ordered to shut.
"We closed 15 cybercafes in three areas of Tehran, calling on the owners to obtain a licence from the trade union for computer and business-machine operators," a police official said.
Five cafes were authorised to reopen after receiving approval from the conservative-led union, he added, while another 250 were warned they would need an operating permit as well as an internet licence.
A pro-reform newspaper said on Sunday that authorities had closed around 400 cybercafes across the capital.
An official with the post, telegraph and telephone (PTT) ministry, cited by the state IRNA news agency, said today that his ministry had "no role" in the cybercafe closures.
Mr Farhad Sepahram said the closures had been ordered "by police on the basis of a decision made by the relevant authorities," IRNA said.
Meanwhile, Mr Mohammad-Reza Khatami, brother of President Mohammad Khatami and head of the nation's largest pro-reform party, blasted the closures.
"Four-hundred cybercafes are closed overnight," he said. "If they believe that the centres had done something wrong, they should provide evidence. They should explain how they had come to such a conclusion."
AFP