Internet shutdown: Iran dismisses death toll figures

Iran’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Gholamreza Mahdavi Raja, on Tuesday, dismissed figures of death from protests in the country circulating from non-official sources, saying only government statistics should be considered credible. Independent activists put the death toll at over 20,000, while officials cited about 3,000. Speaking during an interactive session with journalists at the Iranian Embassy […]

Iran’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Gholamreza Mahdavi Raja, on Tuesday, dismissed figures of death from protests in the country circulating from non-official sources, saying only government statistics should be considered credible.
Independent activists put the death toll at over 20,000, while officials cited about 3,000.
Speaking during an interactive session with journalists at the Iranian Embassy in Abuja, Raja said, “The important information for us is the official information which we received from the government. The government announced that number two days ago. Anybody can say anything.”
He said the Iranian government had fully restored internet access across the country after a temporary shutdown imposed during the protests, insisting the measure was necessary to curb what he described as terrorist activities and foreign interference.
He explained that the blackout was brief, targeted, and driven strictly by national security concerns.
“So, the blackout is finished,” he said. “Today I received an internet connection from my country. From January 8 to 10, there were armed protests and some terrorist acts.”
He said authorities cut off internet links between Iran and the outside world to disrupt coordination between what he called terrorist groups inside the country and their external sponsors.
“The reason was the connection between terrorist groups inside the country to outside the country—to support them, to guide them, what to do and where to go,” he said.
According to him, the decision helped stabilize the situation. “We saw the situation calming down and returning to normal,” he said, adding that restoration of services had been gradual. “Now, internet connection is normal, step by step, since last week.”
Raja stressed that security considerations outweighed other concerns.
“Internal security is more important than anything. It’s not negotiable. We cannot bargain.
“Whether to cut the internet for one, two or three weeks, we had foreign interference,” he said.
He rejected suggestions that Iran should have handled the matter differently, arguing that no country would compromise its sovereignty.
“Each country would not negotiate about internal security with others. The same as your country—for sovereignty, integrity, and security,” he said.
The ambassador also accused foreign powers of instigating unrest in Iran, naming the United States and Israel.
“We are receiving threats from the United States and the Zionist regime,” he said, adding that hostile intelligence agents were active inside Iran.
“Without any doubt. They announced it themselves,” he said when asked if foreigners infiltrated the protests.
Raja maintained that the current situation in Iran had returned to normal.
“The current situation in Iran is normal and under control,” he said, noting that Iran remained committed to peace and regional stability despite what he described as ongoing threats.