Iran Prohibits Use of Foreign Email Addresses

The closely watched crackdown on Iran's Internet access experienced another major development this week involving email access to the rest of the world. According to a new report from AFP, an order from the country's telecommunications minister dictates that all telephone companies, banks, and insurance firms are prohibited from using foreign email services such as Google's Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or Microsoft's Hotmail.

From now on, organizations fitting the aforementioned descriptions must use email addresses ending with iran.ir, post.ir, or chmail.ir. Accordingly, Iranian universities must use email addresses ending in ac.ir or .ir, and governmental bodies must use emails ending with gov.ir or .ir, according to AFP, which cited Asr Ertebatat.

These latest changes come as the country prepares to deploy what some have described as its "national Internet" or "halal Internet," a system that would compel Iranians to only use Iranian email, search, and micro-blogging tools. (...)