Iranian Parliament was not persuaded by the Communications Minister’s explanations for “increasing internet bandwith before the launch of the National Internet” and gave him a yellow card.

Mahmoud Vaezi (front) in Parliament

IRNA reports that of the 195 MPs present, 99 voted against, 70 voted for and 11 abstained in response to the explanations offered by Mahmoud Vaezi.

The yellow card given on Tuesday April 14 was the eleventh yellow card given to a minister in the Rohani administration.

Ministers of the interior, labour, education, industry and mining as well as culture, science and the economy have also received yellow cards and some have even received two.

According to parliamentary regulations, a minister who receives three yellow cards can be impeached.

Nasrollah Pejmanfar, an MP who voted against the increase in internet speed, expressed concern that the National Internet has shown very little progress and the government has “no role in managing cyberspace, while management and dominance in this area is in the hands of America”.

The Communications Minister has responded, however, that there has been no directive restricting the increase in internet bandwith, adding that making progress on the National Internet requires a wider broadband.

IRNA reported in March that in the past year, MPs have put more than a thousand questions to Hassan Rohani’s ministers and given them 3,619 warnings.