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TEHRAN: April, 18, 2018: Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced to quit popular messaging app Telegram on Wednesday.

In his last message, Khamenei said that the decision was taken in line with safeguarding national interests and removing monopoly of Telegram messaging network.

It directed users to accounts on Iranian messaging services, including Soroush and Gap, which the authorities are trying to promote.

Last week, Khamenei issued statement that any breaches of online privacy were ‘haram.’

There were rumors that Iran will block Telegram soon. The app is built by Russian tech guru, Pavel Durov and have some 40 million users in the country.(03)