Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf dismissed reports that the government had reached an agreement with Telegram to restore access to the banned messaging app, calling the claims false, state media reported on Sunday.
Ghalibaf said any foreign platform seeking to operate in Iran must comply with domestic laws and regulations set by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace.
“If a platform does not accept internal regulations, it will not receive a license,” he told parliament after a lawmaker said the administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian had signed an agreement with Telegram that had yet to be reviewed by the council.
Under existing policy, a nine-member committee oversees whether foreign platforms adhere to Iranian cyber regulations, including cooperation with judicial authorities and removal of content deemed threatening to national security or public morals.
The reports of a Telegram deal surfaced after the Mehr news agency said Tehran had outlined conditions for lifting the app’s years-long ban, including blocking posts that incite ethnic tensions and assisting the judiciary with user data requests.
Telegram, which has been blocked since 2018 following anti-government protests, remains widely used through virtual private networks despite restrictions.
The alleged talks prompted criticism in parliament, where lawmakers warned that any agreement with Telegram must first be approved by the legislative body. One MP threatened to seek the impeachment of the communications minister if a deal were concluded without parliamentary consent.
He pointed out that the fatwa by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei against nuclear weapons has strong Shia jurisprudential foundations.
Larijani, a former senior judiciary official who also served as a top adviser to the Supreme Leader, added that he supports the expansion of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, framing them as a deterrent and emphasizing the country’s decision not to weaponize.
He also voiced sharp criticism of the 2015 nuclear deal, saying the so-called “diplomacy doctrine” of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) had led Iran to “distress and reversed courage.”
Larijani, speaking at a conference examining the thoughts of Ali Khamenei, said that the JCPOA doctrine -- based on trading rights for concessions -- was akin to surrendering part of Iran’s rights in order to preserve others, and he invoked Iran’s war-era ethos of resisting aggressors.
Larijani’s comments reflect a nuanced position often heard from Tehran: while Iran signals that it remains technically close to nuclear weapon capability, it continues to assert that its policy remains peaceful and that the decision not to build such weapons stands.
The remarks come amid international scrutiny of Iran’s nuclear program, where questions remain over enrichment levels and stockpiles, and where the authenticity and legal force of Khamenei’s so-called fatwa have been contested by analysts.
International experts say the Iranian stance complicates diplomatic efforts, as Tehran’s acknowledgement of capability but insistence on conditional restraint leaves room for ambiguity.
Critics argue this could be designed to serve both as deterrence and diplomatic leverage.
Official data show point-to-point inflation nearing 50%, while food costs have surged far faster, underscoring what analysts describe as a severe stagflation gripping the country.
“If the Pezeshkian administration fails to calm economic tensions, Iran will face a major stagflation crisis,” said Morteza Afghah, an economist at Ahvaz University, quoted by the Khabar Online website.
Afghahsaid the crisis was the result of years of “right-wing economic policies” and warned that hundreds of thousands of Iranians no longer earn enough to cover basic nutrition. He urged the government to cut unnecessary spending and overhaul the tax system so that “large-scale earners shoulder the burden” instead of further squeezing low-income families.
The remarks came as Iranian media reported that food inflation and basic living costs have sharply outpaced general prices, with many middle- and working-class families now below the poverty line. Parliament’s Research Center previously estimated that 30% of Iranians lived in poverty; new assessments put that figure closer to 36%.
According to lawmaker Rahmatollah Norouzi, even workers earning 450 million rials (around $400 at today’s market rates) “live below the poverty line” if they rent their homes.
Official labor data show the base monthly wage is less than 110 million rials, rising to about 150 million with benefits (about $100 to $150) -- far below the estimated 230 million needed for basic subsistence, according to the Supreme Labor Council.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani recently said the poverty line per person stands at 60 million rials, prompting sharp criticism from unions and economists who called the figure “divorced from reality.”
Economic hardship has already taken a toll on health and education. The Health Ministry estimates poor nutrition contributes to about 35% of annual deaths in Iran, with tens of thousands dying each year from dietary deficiencies, including lack of fruits, grains, and essential fatty acids.
A report last week by Iran’s Statistical Center showed food inflation at nearly 64% -- a rate far higher than the overall 48% inflation estimate. Agricultural output has shrunk by more than 7% amid drought and a shortage of foreign currency for food imports.
Analysts say the situation risks worsening as renewed UN sanctions and a potential fuel price hike add further pressure.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had managed the June war with Israel effectively and prevented it from spreading to the wider region, according to the Qatari network. He said Iran was fully prepared for any new confrontation and warned that Israel would face “another defeat” if fighting resumed.
Araghchi said Iranian nuclear sites were damaged in the war but its enrichment technology remained intact, with nuclear materials still at the bombed facilities.
He said Iran would not accept Western pressure and was ready for indirect talks with Washington to reach what he called a fair agreement on its nuclear program. Tehran was willing to address international concerns, he added, but would not make concessions after being attacked.
His remarks came a day after Egypt said it had urged both Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency to end the standoff over inspections of damaged nuclear sites. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said he conveyed the appeal to Araghchi and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in separate calls aimed at reviving cooperation.
Iran suspended full cooperation with the UN watchdog after the June war with Israel and the United States, which struck several nuclear facilities. Under a post-war law, inspections now require approval by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and exclude access to the bombed sites.
Western powers accuse Tehran of hiding military dimensions to its program, while Iran insists its nuclear work is peaceful.
Tensions with Washington have sharpened after US President Donald Trump ordered the first American nuclear weapons tests in more than three decades. Araghchi called the move a regressive and irresponsible step and said it showed what he called US hypocrisy for condemning Iran’s nuclear work while restarting its own testing.
