Telegram is very successful in Iran. The number of users is far more than WhatsApp. About 40 million Iranians half of the country's total population is estimated to use Telegram.
This app is also used by older generations who are not accustomed to using social media platforms. In addition to serving to send messages between two users, Telegram also serves to send a message to a large audience through their channel feature.
On Wednesday, Khamenei announced that it would remove the Telegram Ayatollah channel to protect the country's data and end what they call a monopoly by Telegram in Iran. This announcement could also be a sign that Telegram will be blocked.
Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri also announced that he would stop using Telegram. The government has also ordered all civil servants and employees in government departments to stop using Telegram.
Iran has been considering blocking Telegram since protests over economic issues later became political and spread to 80 cities in January.
The government blames Telegram because they provide a platform for protesters to hold such protests.
