Iran has begun easing sweeping communication restrictions imposed after deadly antigovernment protests rocked the country for more than two weeks.The semiofficial Fars News Agency on Saturday said authorities restored the short messaging service (SMS) nationwide as part of a phased plan after eight days of near-total internet disruption.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listQuoting officials, the agency reported that the decision followed what it described as the stabilisation of the security situation and the detention of key figures linked to “terror organisations” behind the violence during protests over rising prices and economic hardship that erupted on December 28 in several Iranian cities.Authorities said the internet blackout had “significantly weakened the internal connections of opposition networks abroad” and disrupted the activities of the “terror cells”.They said they would gradually lift other internet and communications controls. In the second phase, users are expected to regain access to Iran’s national internet network and domestic applications, before international internet connectivity is restored in a final stage.Local sources said access to Iranian messaging platforms, including Eita and Bale, had resumed after days of interruption.No timelineReporting from the capital, Tehran, via satellite, Al Jazeera correspondent Resul Serdar Atas said daily life has been profoundly affected by the prolonged shutdown of the internet.“People are feeling that they’re living almost 30 years back, when there was very limited internet around,” he said. Advertisement Officials say the restoration will follow a phased approach. “Now the SMS services are restored. It has been, as of now, around 10 hours since this service was restored,” Atas said on Saturday morning, adding that no clear timeline has been provided for the phased restoration of internet access.The only official guidance so far has come from Iran’s Foreign Minist …
