DUBAI, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Iranian authorities have

lifted a ban on Meta's instant messaging platform

WhatsApp and Google Play as a first step to scale back

internet restrictions, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.

The Islamic Republic has some of the strictest controls on

Internet access in the world, but its blocks on U.S.-based

social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are routinely

bypassed by tech-savvy Iranians using virtual private networks.

"A positive majority vote has been reached to lift

limitations on access to some popular foreign platforms such as

WhatsApp and Google Play", Iran's official IRNA news agency said

on Tuesday, referring to a meeting on the matter headed by

President Masoud Pezeshkian.

"Today the first step in removing internet limitations...

has been taken," IRNA cited Iran's Minister of Information and

Communications Technology Sattar Hashemi as saying.

Social media platforms were widely used in anti-government

protests in Iran.

In September the United States called on Big Tech to help

evade online censorship in countries that heavily sensor the

internet, including Iran.