Iran 'lifts block on SMS texting'

Tehran, July 3 (ANI): SMS text messaging services in Iran have been unblocked for the first time since disputed June 12 presidential elections.

The BBC quoted Iranian news agencies as saying that there are still technical problems. Messages up to three weeks old were being sent out, and some users were receiving multiple repeated messages, they said.

Text messaging and social networks were widely used by protesters in mass rallies following the election.

Defeated opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi this week called on the government to end its interference in phone networks and the Internet.

The lifting of the restrictions has been reported by a number of Iranian news agencies monitored by the BBC, including Tabnak.ir, a conservative website believed to be associated with former Islamic Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezai.

The agency added that it had been unable to get an explanation for the problems from the communications authorities. (ANI)