Customers at a Tehran internet cafe — Customers use computers at an internet cafe in Tehran. Iranians must go through proxy servers to gain access to sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Photograph: Raheb Homavandi/Reuters

Iran restores Twitter and Facebook filters after 'technical glitch'

This article is more than 13 years old

Iranian Facebook and Twitter followers briefly gained access to the sites overnight after blocks were temporarily removed

Iranian authorities have restored blocks on Facebook and Twitter after a "technical glitch" briefly removed filters from the social networks overnight.

The semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, from the board overseeing the internet in Iran, as saying the removal of the blocks was a technical failure that was quickly rectified.

Iranian followers of the networks were disappointed on Tuesday morning when the sites were no longer available, forcing them again to go through proxy servers for access.

The newly elected president, Hasan Rouhani, has pledged more outreach to the west and a new openness in Iran.

The glitch could point to increasing internal struggles between groups seeking to reopen Facebook and other social networking sites, and hardliners in the establishment, who remain in control of internet access.

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