The chief executive of Irancell, Iran’s second-largest mobile phone operator, was dismissed for failing to comply with the government’s decision to shut down the internet amid mounting anti-regime protests, Iran’s Fars news agency reports.

Iran cut off all communications on January 8 without warning, as calls intensified for the anti-government protests, which were initially sparked by an economic crisis.

Access to the internet has been virtually impossible in Iran since then, although restrictions began to ease today for some foreign websites, such as Google.

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