Altcoins News

Story: Telegram Boss Says Iran’s Ban Totally Backfired on Government

By Jean-Luc Maracon

1 / 15

VPN Development Explodes. The surge in VPN creation is pretty wild when you think about it.

2 / 15

Business Impact Spreads. Iranian tech entrepreneur Reza Malekzadeh talked about the economic fallout during a Tehran panel…

3 / 15

Pavel Durov dropped some pretty big news Tuesday. The Telegram founder said Iran's messaging ban basically blew up in the government's face, with thousands of developers now…

4 / 15

Durov made his announcement April 4, claiming the Iranian crackdown only made things worse for authorities trying to control internet access.

5 / 15

Iran banned Telegram back in 2018. Officials cited security worries.

6 / 15

The surge in VPN creation is pretty wild when you think about it. These networks basically encrypt internet traffic, letting users access blocked services like Telegram without…

7 / 15

Iran's Communication Ministry has been taking heat for its role in internet restrictions. Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi defended the measures as necessary…

8 / 15

And the numbers back up Durov's claims. Analytics firm App Annie shows VPN app downloads in Iran shot up big time since the ban started.

9 / 15

The economic hit is getting clearer too. Iran Chamber of Commerce put out a report in March 2026 showing the restrictions hurt small businesses that relied on Telegram for…

10 / 15

Telegram's still hugely popular in Iran despite all the restrictions. The platform's ability to survive government pressure shows how significant it is in the digital landscape.

11 / 15

Meanwhile, data from Iranian Telecommunications Research Center shows people are flocking to alternative messaging apps since the Telegram ban.

12 / 15

International observers are paying attention too. UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman expressed concern April 1 about the government's control of digital communications.

13 / 15

Amnesty International jumped in April 3 with a statement condemning the internet restrictions.

14 / 15

The growing number of VPNs could eventually overwhelm Iran's ability to enforce internet restrictions effectively.

15 / 15

For now, Durov's remarks show a persistent struggle between tech innovation and government censorship.

The Currency Analytics

Want the full story?