Iranian authorities have announced cooperation with the cryptocurrency Gram from Telegram a threat to national security

The Iranian government has taken further steps aimed at countering the Gram cryptocurrency, which is being developed by the Telegram messenger. About this December 31 reported the publication of the Tehran Times .

In a statement by Javad Javidnia, secretary of the criminal definition working group, any cooperation with the Gram token launch application will be considered an act against national security and a threat to the national economy.

“One of the most important factors in banning Telegram was the sense of a serious economic threat posed by its activities. Unfortunately, this threat was ignored because of the confusion in the country's political atmosphere, ”Javidnia said.

The first restrictive measures against Telegram Iran adopted in April 2018, when the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned its use to government officials. Later that month, the authorities of this Middle Eastern country completely banned the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Subsequently, Telegram was completely banned in Iran.

The country's officials also stated that the initial offer of coins (ICO), which Telegram conducted last year, potentially "undermined the national currency of Iran." The Supreme Council for Cyberspace approved the proposed ban, agreeing that all Iranian users of the application can receive access to the Gram cryptocurrency token.

Note that active efforts to combat Telegram are also being conducted in Russia. In December, it was reported that Roskomnadzor could introduce new technologies to combat banned sites and services, one of which is Telegram, as early as 2019. It was alleged that the Russian authorities are ready to allocate up to 20 billion rubles for their implementation.

In 2018, Gram messenger attracted about $ 1.7 billion to develop the blockchain project of the Telegram Open Network (TON) and cryptocurrency.

At the end of 2018, it also became known that the Iranian authorities completed the development of a national cryptocurrency provided by the local rial.

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