Iraq to lift ban on Telegram after platform agrees to regulatory conditions

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) announced on Saturday that the ban on the Telegram messaging application will be lifted nationwide after the platform’s management pledged to comply with Iraqi legal and regulatory requirements.

In a statement carried by the state-run Iraqi News Agency, the commission said Telegram service would resume “across all parts of Iraq” once the Ministry of Communications completes the required technical procedures through approved internet gateways.

The CMC said the decision followed “pledges made by the application’s management to comply with regulatory requirements.”

Telegram had been suspended in Iraq since May 3, excluding the Kurdistan Region. The platform is widely used across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, with around 16 million users.

According to the Commission, Telegram’s management agreed to implement measures related to “content moderation, user protection, and compliance with the legal frameworks in force in Iraq.”

The watchdog added that it would continue monitoring the platform to ensure the commitments are implemented.

“All social media platforms operating in Iraq are bound to full compliance with current legislation without exception, in order to safeguard the public interest and national information security,” it said.

Ali Sheikh Khalis, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s Transportation and Communications Committee, told Rudaw on Saturday that lawmakers are still awaiting an explanation as to why it was suspended in the first place.

“Our committee has officially requested a clarification from the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission to explain the reasons for the Telegram suspension, but so far, our committee has not received an official response,” he said.