Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the chairman of Twitter exchanged Tweets on Tuesday, in a conversation fueling speculation that a ban on the social media site might soon end in Iran.
Jack Dorsey tweeted at the Twitter account used by President Rouhani Tuesday morning.
"Good evening, President," Dorsey wrote. "Are citizens of Iran able to read your tweets?"
The President of Iran responded: "Evening, @Jack...my efforts geared 2 ensure my ppl'll comfortably b able 2 access all info globally as is their #right."
Dorsey responded by offering to help "make it a reality" in any way his company could.
Evening, @Jack. As I told @camanpour, my efforts geared 2 ensure my ppl'll comfortably b able 2 access all info globally as is their #right.
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) October 1, 2013
Most social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have been blocked for the past four years, as state officials claim that some citizens use wall posts and tweets to promote anti-government protests. Some Iranian citizens still gain access to the sites by using a virtual private network, or VPN - software that uses other computers in different countries to allow entry to blocked websites.
But since Rouhani - who has largely been touted as a moderate leader - became president, his administration has opened up to the use of social media, the BBC reported. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has a Facebook Page, in addition to Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh, who is quite active on the social media site.
Still, there is one gaping hole in the question of Rouhani's Twitter use: who's operating his page? The president's handle doesn't bear a blue check - the indication that an account is legitimate, or "verified" - next to his name. Some speculated that Rouhani didn't, in fact, write the tweet to Dorsey. Critics have accused Iran's politicians of being purposely enigmatic about their social media use to ensure that they can play on either side of the fence with moderates and hardliners.
On Sept. 17, Facebook and Twitter access in Iran was suddenly freed up, following a technical glitch. Internet officials in Tehran managed to reestablish the blocks by the end of the day.
