Iran bans Telegram, releases government-approved replacement featuring 'Death to America' slogans
At the end of May, the Iranian government announced it was planning to block the use of Telegram as a result of "national security" concerns. At the time, it expressed an interest in pushing users of the messaging app onto state-sanctioned solutions, like "Soroush," before the ban went fully into effect. Last Thursday, Telegram's license to operate in the country was formally revoked and the government's preferred app was officially released—toting downloadable "Death to America" stickers. Aljazeera reports that the government-endorsed Soroush app was launched on the same date that Telegram's license was revoked. According to their coverage, Soroush has similar features to the app which it is intended to replace. Outside of messaging, it also includes downloadable stickers. Some of them allegedly feature women carrying signs which state things like "Death to America," though it isn't clear if the stickers are first-party o