The US State Department on Friday hit out at Iran's government for providing officials and loyal elites access to uncensored internet through so-called “white SIM cards,” while ordinary Iranians remain restricted and forced to rely on VPNs.
In a post on X, the department’s Persian-language USAbehFarsi account wrote that access to information “is a fundamental right, not a privilege for a select few.”
"The United States condemns the regime’s discrimination and stands firmly with the people of Iran in their fight for internet freedom," it said.
The statement comes amid public backlash sparked by X’s new location feature, which shows the approximate location from which users are posting.
The update exposed numerous pro-government figures and individuals tied to the Islamic Republic posting freely from inside Iran where most people have to bypass the restrictions on social media using tools like VPN.
"The Islamic Republic regime, while imposing severe restrictions and censorship on the Iranian people, hypocritically provides its own officials with special access to the internet," the US State Department posted to X.
The new feature on the X platform "has revealed that many Islamic Republic officials, pro-government activists, and affiliated journalists have access to privileged internet,” political activist Hossein Ronaghi wrote on X.
The revelations indicate that those at the top are using so-called “white SIM cards” — special, unrestricted whitelisted mobile lines exempt from the state’s filtering system. These lines provide uninterrupted access to platforms like Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp, which remain blocked for the general population.
Public anger quickly concentrated on high-profile figures whose X accounts showed their connection country as Iran, including former and current lawmakers, government spokespeople, and several media personalities — even though some had publicly claimed they used VPNs.
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, who had previously been asked whether she used an unrestricted line, insisted she relied on VPNs.
“I use anti-filters like everyone else, and my son and daughter-in-law help me with the setups,” she said.
After screenshots circulated showing her location as Iran, users accused her of being dishonest.
One user pointed to the location tag on the account of Amirhossein Sabeti, a lawmaker and staunch supporter of internet filtering, and mocking his use of an iPhone wrote: “An American phone, an American app, white internet. What he prescribes for the public: ‘resistance economy.’”
Many accounts linked to pro-government figures quickly changed their region settings to West Asia after the controversy escalated. Some apologized and some deactivated their accounts.
The Islamic Republic spends at least $4.5 billion to suppress digital information access according to the US government.
Meteorologists say heavy smog will linger over the capital through Tuesday, with fine particulate pollution increasing sharply as calm weather prevents the dispersal of exhaust fumes and industrial emissions.
Officials have urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and limit time outdoors, especially at night and in the early morning when pollution peaks.
The city’s weather bureau warned that without stricter limits on factories and traffic, “air quality could reach very unhealthy levels” and health services should remain ready to respond.
The alert on Friday comes as air quality worsens across several major cities, including Isfahan, Tabriz, Karaj, Ahvaz, and Mashhad.
Recent readings in Tehran placed fine particulate concentrations well above safe limits, posing risks for children, the elderly, and those with respiratory or heart conditions.
Officials say calm winds have turned Tehran into a pollution trap. The Health Ministry estimates nearly 59,000 Iranians die every year from illnesses linked to poor air quality, with economic losses exceeding $17 billion — more than the country’s entire health budget.
Reliance on dirty fuels deepens the crisis
The worsening air coincides with a renewed use of mazut, a heavy, high-sulfur fuel oil, at power plants struggling with gas shortages.
Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi acknowledged the problem, saying the move was a last resort to keep power stations running during peak demand.
Environmental groups warn that relying on mazut — together with aging cars and weak emissions controls — keeps Iran’s major cities locked in a cycle of toxic air and public health damage.
Authorities have advised residents to wear masks, avoid strenuous outdoor activity, and limit vehicle use.
Experts say the combination of outdated fuel systems, traffic congestion, and winter weather patterns means Tehran is likely to face repeated air-quality emergencies unless major reforms — such as investment in cleaner energy and transport — are implemented soon.
According to the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, several reporters and local media managers were summoned or threatened by security agents after publishing reports on the water crisis, which has left some neighborhoods without running water for more than 72 hours.
Security officials allegedly warned journalists against “spreading public anxiety” and forced some to sign written pledges not to cover the issue.
The pressure campaign comes as Iran faces one of its worst droughts in decades, with reservoirs across the country running dangerously low.
Iran’s worsening drought has pushed water reserves in several provinces — including Tehran, Mashhad, Kerman, and Yazd — to the brink of collapse, according to officials cited by domestic media.
Tehran’s Latian and Karaj dams have fallen to historic lows, with the latter holding less than 10 percent of its capacity. The capital now depends heavily on underground aquifers already under strain and at risk of subsidence.
The religious city of Mashhad has entered full rationing, while officials in Kerman describe collapsing aquifers and abandoned farmland.
Nationwide, rainfall has dropped to 18 percent of normal levels, leaving 20 provinces without measurable precipitation over the past two months.
Water specialists warn that if the trend continues, up to half of Tehran’s population could face severe supply disruptions within five to ten years.
Mohsen Biglari, secretary of parliament’s Budget and Planning Committee, said lawmakers had not been informed in advance of the government’s plan to add a new 5,000-toman (4.4 cents per the free market rate) fuel tier for drivers refueling beyond their monthly quotas or without personal fuel cards.
“If people have to buy 5,000-toman gasoline after using their quota, this increase will definitely affect the prices of other goods and services,” Biglari told Rouydad24. “We’ve seen how such policies ripple through the economy before.”
Biglari said even members of parliament learned of the change from the media, despite President Masoud Pezeshkian’s earlier campaign pledge that no fuel price hike would occur “without coordination with the people.”
“Such a major decision should have been discussed with us as representatives of the people,” Biglari said. “While the move may not be illegal, it contradicts the president’s promise of transparency.”
Economic and political backdrop
The government’s new fuel pricing system, announced last week, introduces a third rate at 5,000 tomans per liter for drivers refueling without personal cards or beyond their quota, while keeping existing 1,500- and 3,000-toman rates. Officials say the plan aims to reduce subsidies and curb rising consumption.
The Pezeshkian administration faces mounting fiscal pressure as fuel demand exceeds domestic production, forcing costly imports. The government says the reform will encourage efficient use and deter smuggling.
Biglari cautioned that even limited fuel price hikes could heighten public frustration if introduced without transparency. The warning comes amid memories of the 2019 fuel price protests, which erupted after an overnight price increase.
“Decisions like this, if made without public dialogue or proper study, can lead to social discontent,” he said, urging the government to act “with coordination and careful review to avoid potential risks.”
The resolution was approved with 549 votes in favor, 7 against and 31 abstentions.
Members of the European Parliament said the Baha’is face escalating repression, including harassment, arbitrary detention and property confiscation, and called for the immediate release of all those jailed for their religious beliefs.
"Member states must raise the issue of severe human rights violations in Iran and impose sanctions on Iranian officials contributing to the persecution of the Baha’is," MEPs said in a statement.
The adopted resolution also said Baha’i women face gender-based persecution and account for around two thirds of those detained.
MEPs called on Iran to compensate victims, return seized assets and allow the Baha’i community access to education, employment and services.
Lawmakers criticized the rise in executions in Iran and urged Tehran to halt the use of capital punishment as a tool of political and religious repression.
Fresh wave of hate speech and arrests
The European Parliament’s resolution comes amid a renewed crackdown on Baha’is inside Iran and rising anti-Baha’i rhetoric on state media.
Last month, a hardline commentator on Iranian state television, Ali Shirazi, alleged that the Baha’i minority holds “an unbreakable bond with Zionism,” claiming that “Baha’i and Israel are one and the same.” His remarks followed reports by the Baha’i International Community (BIC) that at least 22 members of the faith had their homes and businesses raided in coordinated operations across six provinces.
Iran does not recognize the Baha’i faith as an official religion, unlike Christianity, Judaism or Zoroastrianism.
Baha'is constitute the largest religious minority in Iran and have faced systematic harassment and persecution since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Iranian authorities have long accused the Baha’i community of links to Israel, partly because the faith’s spiritual center is located in Haifa, where its founder’s shrine stands. Rights groups say such claims have been used to justify arrests, confiscations, and lengthy prison sentences.
Nearly three quarters of documented violations against religious minorities in Iran over the past three years have involved Baha'is, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
