The Iranian government is apparently planning to criminalise sharing of any information deemed critical of the regime, television channel Iran International reported on Friday (December 30). This news development comes amid nationwide mass protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini allegedly in the custody of Iran's morality police.&nbsp;

As per the report, President Ebrahim Raisi's administration is reportedly planning to secretly pass bills, aimed at restricting the activities of citizen journalists. The bills might criminalise any reporting deemed critical of the regime.&nbsp;

Expressing concerns over the reported bill, the Association of Iranian Journalists claimed that the details of the bill are not known yet as the government is attempting to hide it from experts and journalists.

As per the report, the members of parliament are backing the plan titled "Legal and judicial action against the spread of fake news in cyberspace". Meanwhile, the administration is working on a bill called "The comprehensive bill of journalism".&nbsp;

As per the report by Iran International, culture minister Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili had previously announced that the bill had been approved by the cultural committee of the government. It would be sent to the parliament after the cabinet's review.&nbsp;

So far, there is no official response to the reports. &nbsp;

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The Iranian government is apparently planning to criminalise sharing of any information deemed critical of the regime, television channel Iran International reported on Friday (December 30).

The Iranian government is apparently planning to criminalise sharing of any information deemed critical of the regime, television channel Iran International reported on Friday (December 30). This news development comes amid nationwide mass protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini allegedly in the custody of Iran's morality police. As per the report, President Ebrahim Raisi's administration is reportedly planning to secretly pass bills, aimed at restricting the activities of citizen journalists. The bills might criminalise any reporting deemed critical of the regime. Expressing concerns over the reported bill, the Association of Iranian Journalists claimed that the details of the bill are not known yet as the government is attempting to hide it from experts and journalists. As per the report, the members of parliament are backing the plan titled "Legal and judicial action against the spread of fake news in cyberspace". Meanwhile, the administration is working on a bill called "The comprehensive bill of journalism". As per the report by Iran International, culture minister Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili had previously announced that the bill had been approved by the cultural committee of the government. It would be sent to the parliament after the cabinet's review. So far, there is no official response to the reports. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Is Iranian government mulling plans to criminalise sharing of information?

The Iranian government is weighing an assassination attempt against the American ambassador to South Africa. News of the plot comes as Iran continues to seek ways to retaliate for President Donald Trump’s decision to kill a powerful Iranian general Qassem Soleimani earlier this year.

Iran's plot to kill US envoy to South Africa: Avenge Qassem Soleimani's killing by US

Iran is reportedly considering a plot to kill the US envoy to South Africa

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/jaishankar-meets-iranian-president-hassan-rouhani-discusses-progress-in-india-iran-bilateral-ties-269834">Iran</a>'s authorities have restricted mobile&nbsp;internet&nbsp;access in several provinces, an&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;news agency reported on Wednesday, a day&nbsp;before&nbsp;new&nbsp;protests&nbsp;were expected to kick-off following calls for demonstrations on social media.

Social media posts, along with some relatives of people killed in unrest last month, have called for renewed&nbsp;protests&nbsp;and for ceremonies to commemorate the dead to be held on Thursday.

State media, meanwhile, said intelligence ministry agents had seized a cache of 126 mostly US-made guns smuggled to the central city of Isfahan from abroad.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/protests-in-iran-seen-as-a-consipiracy-to-destabilise-current-political-regime-266160">protests</a>&nbsp;were initially sparked in November by hikes in gasoline prices but demonstrators quickly expanded their demands to cover calls for more political freedom and other issues.

The government, which launched the bloodiest crackdown on demonstrators in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic, blamed foreign enemies for stoking tensions.

An official denied any order by the authorities to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/3-reportedly-killed-in-ongoing-protests-in-iran-government-blocks-internet-28144">block the&nbsp;internet</a>, which was shut down for about a week in the November unrest. A&nbsp;news agency also cited mobile operators saying their services had not been disrupted.

The semi-official&nbsp;news agency ILNA quoted an informed source at the Communications and Information Technology Ministry as saying mobile&nbsp;internet&nbsp;access to overseas sites was blocked by "security authorities" in Alborz, Kurdestan and Zanjan provinces in central and western&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and Fars in the south.

"According to this source, it is&nbsp;possible&nbsp;that more provinces will be affected by the shutdown of mobile international connectivity," ILNA said.

Internet&nbsp;blockage observatory NetBlocks said on Twitter: "Confirmed: Evidence of mobile&nbsp;internet&nbsp;disruption in parts of #Iran&nbsp;...real-time network data show two distinct drops in connectivity this morning amid&nbsp;reports&nbsp;of regional outages; incident ongoing."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Confirmed: Evidence of mobile internet disruption in parts of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iran</a> beginning ~6:30 a.m. (03:00 UTC); real-time network data show two distinct drops in connectivity this morning amid reports of regional outages; incident ongoing 📉 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Internet4Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Internet4Iran</a> 
 
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— NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/1209796588324958208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The shutdown appeared to be spreading.

"I just checked myself and asked a friend, and the&nbsp;internet&nbsp;is off on our mobiles," a resident in Ahvaz, the capital of the oil producing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-oil-field-adds-222-billion-barrels-with-current-technology-iran-261333">Khuzestan</a> province, told sources.

But a communications ministry spokesman denied there was an order to shut down the&nbsp;internet. "No such order has been issued by the judiciary or other relevant authorities. The Fake&nbsp;News are at work," Jamal Hadian said in a Twitter post.

Iran's three mobile operators also denied experiencing any&nbsp;internet&nbsp;disruptions, the local sources reported.

In <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tehran-air-pollution-forces-week-long-school-closure-269782">Alborz</a> province, one of the areas affected by the shutdown, authorities this week arrested the parents of a young man who was shot dead during the&nbsp;protests, after pressuring them to call off a commemoration for their son scheduled for Thursday, citing concerns it could create unrest.

The weapons seized in Isfahan included assault rifles, handguns and pellet guns, the state&nbsp;news agency IRNA said. "Most of the weapons carry USA badges and are American-made," it added.

The&nbsp;internet&nbsp;blockage made it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to generate support and also to obtain reliable&nbsp;reports&nbsp;on the extent of the unrest.

Security forces have been on alert for any events that could spark more unrest after 1,500 people were killed in less than two weeks after&nbsp;protests&nbsp;erupted on November&nbsp;15, according to reports.

That figure is much higher than estimates by international human rights groups and was also dismissed as "fake&nbsp;news" by a spokesman for&nbsp;Iran's top state security body.

The United States imposed <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-unveils-development-at-arak-reactor-amid-us-sanctions-pressure-269852">sanctions</a> on&nbsp;Iran's communications minister last month for his role in "widescale&nbsp;internet&nbsp;censorship," a reference to the nationwide shutdown.

Iran&nbsp;has blamed "thugs" linked to exiles and foreign foes - the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-he-and-xi-jinping-will-sign-china-trade-deal-270340">United States</a>, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-launches-air-strikes-on-gaza-after-rocket-attack-270314">Israel</a> and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-will-seek-accountability-on-khashoggi-no-matter-how-high-it-goes-270052">Saudi Arabia</a> - for stirring up unrest through social media.

During the&nbsp;protests, hundreds of banks and public buildings were attacked and damaged.

Iran's authorities have restricted mobile internet access in several provinces, an Iranian news agency reported on Wednesday, a day before new protests were expected to kick-off following calls for demonstrations on social media.

Iran's authorities have restricted mobile internet access in several provinces, an Iranian news agency reported on Wednesday, a day before new protests were expected to kick-off following calls for demonstrations on social media. Social media posts, along with some relatives of people killed in unrest last month, have called for renewed protests and for ceremonies to commemorate the dead to be held on Thursday. State media, meanwhile, said intelligence ministry agents had seized a cache of 126 mostly US-made guns smuggled to the central city of Isfahan from abroad. The protests were initially sparked in November by hikes in gasoline prices but demonstrators quickly expanded their demands to cover calls for more political freedom and other issues. The government, which launched the bloodiest crackdown on demonstrators in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic, blamed foreign enemies for stoking tensions. An official denied any order by the authorities to block the internet, which was shut down for about a week in the November unrest. A news agency also cited mobile operators saying their services had not been disrupted. The semi-official news agency ILNA quoted an informed source at the Communications and Information Technology Ministry as saying mobile internet access to overseas sites was blocked by "security authorities" in Alborz, Kurdestan and Zanjan provinces in central and western Iran and Fars in the south. "According to this source, it is possible that more provinces will be affected by the shutdown of mobile international connectivity," ILNA said. Internet blockage observatory NetBlocks said on Twitter: "Confirmed: Evidence of mobile internet disruption in parts of #Iran ...real-time network data show two distinct drops in connectivity this morning amid reports of regional outages; incident ongoing." Confirmed: Evidence of mobile internet disruption in parts of #Iran beginning ~6:30 a.m. (03:00 UTC); real-time network data show two distinct drops in connectivity this morning amid reports of regional outages; incident ongoing 📉 #Internet4Iran 📰https://t.co/BNTPP9wEyt pic.twitter.com/1l1ZkLnQKJ — NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) December 25, 2019 × The shutdown appeared to be spreading. "I just checked myself and asked a friend, and the internet is off on our mobiles," a resident in Ahvaz, the capital of the oil producing Khuzestan province, told sources. But a communications ministry spokesman denied there was an order to shut down the internet. "No such order has been issued by the judiciary or other relevant authorities. The Fake News are at work," Jamal Hadian said in a Twitter post. Iran's three mobile operators also denied experiencing any internet disruptions, the local sources reported. In Alborz province, one of the areas affected by the shutdown, authorities this week arrested the parents of a young man who was shot dead during the protests, after pressuring them to call off a commemoration for their son scheduled for Thursday, citing concerns it could create unrest. The weapons seized in Isfahan included assault rifles, handguns and pellet guns, the state news agency IRNA said. "Most of the weapons carry USA badges and are American-made," it added. The internet blockage made it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to generate support and also to obtain reliable reports on the extent of the unrest. Security forces have been on alert for any events that could spark more unrest after 1,500 people were killed in less than two weeks after protests erupted on November 15, according to reports. That figure is much higher than estimates by international human rights groups and was also dismissed as "fake news" by a spokesman for Iran's top state security body. The United States imposed sanctions on Iran's communications minister last month for his role in "widescale internet censorship," a reference to the nationwide shutdown. Iran has blamed "thugs" linked to exiles and foreign foes - the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia - for stirring up unrest through social media. During the protests, hundreds of banks and public buildings were attacked and damaged.

Iran curbs internet before possible new protests: Reports

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-claims-peace-has-been-reinstated-after-three-security-personnel-were-killed-by-rioters-263134">The Iranian government</a> said Tuesday it will unblock the internet only when authorities are sure it will not be abused during violent demonstrations against a petrol price hike.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/revisiting-2013-pakistan-elections-when-the-islamic-republic-witnessed-its-first-democratic-transfer-of-power-137455">The Islamic republic</a> has been largely offline since the internet restrictions were imposed the day after the nationwide demonstrations broke out on Friday.

"Many professions and banks... have faced problems, and we have been trying to solve this," government spokesman Ali Rabiei said, quoted by semi-official news agency ISNA.

"The internet will come back gradually in some provinces where there are assurances the internet will not be abused," he said.

"We understand that people have faced difficulties... but the bigger concern under the current circumstances is maintaining the country's peace and stability."

Demonstrations broke out in Iran on Friday after it was announced the price of petrol would be raised by as much as 200 per cent in the sanctions-hit country.

At least five deaths have been confirmed in the violence that has seen masked young men set alight petrol stations, banks and other public property.

The full extent of the protests remains unclear, however, largely as a result of the internet restrictions.

The outage has stemmed the flow of videos shared on social media of demonstrations or associated acts of violence.

Netblocks, a website that monitors global net shutdowns, said internet connectivity in Iran was at four per cent on Tuesday compared with normal levels.

"Sixty-five hours after #Iran implemented a near-total internet shutdown, some of the last remaining networks are now being cut," it said on Twitter.

Iran's economy has been battered since May last year when<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/democrats-respond-sceptically-to-trumps-willingness-to-testify-during-impeachment-hearings-263050"> President Donald Trump</a> unilaterally withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear agreement and reimposed crippling sanctions.

The Iranian government said Tuesday it will unblock the internet only when authorities are sure it will not be abused during violent demonstrations against a petrol price hike.

The Iranian government said Tuesday it will unblock the internet only when authorities are sure it will not be abused during violent demonstrations against a petrol price hike. The Islamic republic has been largely offline since the internet restrictions were imposed the day after the nationwide demonstrations broke out on Friday. "Many professions and banks... have faced problems, and we have been trying to solve this," government spokesman Ali Rabiei said, quoted by semi-official news agency ISNA. "The internet will come back gradually in some provinces where there are assurances the internet will not be abused," he said. "We understand that people have faced difficulties... but the bigger concern under the current circumstances is maintaining the country's peace and stability." Demonstrations broke out in Iran on Friday after it was announced the price of petrol would be raised by as much as 200 per cent in the sanctions-hit country. At least five deaths have been confirmed in the violence that has seen masked young men set alight petrol stations, banks and other public property. The full extent of the protests remains unclear, however, largely as a result of the internet restrictions. The outage has stemmed the flow of videos shared on social media of demonstrations or associated acts of violence. Netblocks, a website that monitors global net shutdowns, said internet connectivity in Iran was at four per cent on Tuesday compared with normal levels. "Sixty-five hours after #Iran implemented a near-total internet shutdown, some of the last remaining networks are now being cut," it said on Twitter. Iran's economy has been battered since May last year when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear agreement and reimposed crippling sanctions.

Iran to unblock internet once 'abuse' stops: Government

U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford briefed Congress on Iran. U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said that while threats from Iran in the Middle East remained high, deterrence measures taken by the Pentagon had deterred attacks on Americans. Watch this video to know more.

Donald Trump officials brief a divided Congress