Iranian police have closed down more than 400 Internet cafes in the capital Tehran, demanding that the owners obtain licences to stay in business.
Owners said telecommunications authorities had banned the use of Internet sites offering cheap telephone connections to relatives abroad, citing a state monopoly on long distance calls.
"The police closed down 400 Internet cafes throughout Tehran in five days, they say you have to have a licence," cafe owner Mohammad Chizari told Reuters.
Some 1,500 Internet cafes are dotted across Tehran, with more in other major cities. The cafes are popular with the overwhelmingly youthful population in the Islamic republic where state media is tightly controlled by conservatives.
"It was very fast action they took, but there was a wave of protests so they decided to stop the blitzkrieg and allow (other cafes) time to get licences," Chizari said.
Other owners told similar stories confirming reports in local newspapers.
But confusion reigned over who was responsible for the closures.
"The rumours are that the police, the police intelligence unit, the PTT and other ministries are behind this," said Chizari. "They have their own motives and reasons."
