Iran has restricted access to Meta Platforms Inc's Instagram, one of the last remaining social media platforms in the country, amid protests over the death of a woman in police custody, internet shutdown observatory NetBlocks said.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by morality police in Tehran for "unsuitable attire", last week has unleashed simmering anger over issues including freedom in the country and an economy reeling from sanctions.
London-based NetBlocks' data shows a near-total disruption to internet service in parts of Kurdistan province in west Iran since Monday, while the capital city of Tehran and other parts of the country have also faced disruptions since Friday when protests first broke out.
Protests have been particularly intense in Kurdistan where Iran's Revolutionary Guards has a history of suppressing unrest.
Iran's minister of communications said earlier on Wednesday he had been misquoted after news outlets cited him as saying the authorities might disrupt internet services for security reasons.
Social media websites such as TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are routinely blocked in parts of the country, which has some of the strictest internet controls in the world. But tech-savvy residents bypass curbs using virtual private networks (VPNs).
