Official Denies Iran Wants To Question Facebook CEO

An Iranian official denies Tehran wants to question Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

A judiciary official in the Iranian province of Fars has denied reports claiming the CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg has been summoned to a local court.

Speaking to the official news agency IRNA, Shiraz's Public Prosecutor, Ai Alghasi Mehr, dismissed the reports as a "pure lie."

The Justice Department in Fars also denied that Zuckerberg has been summoned over privacy issues.

The semi-official ISNA news agency said earlier on May 27 that Zuckerberg is wanted to answer complaints by individuals who say the Facebook-owned applications Instagram and Whatsapp violate their privacy.

The report quoted Ruhollah Momen Nasab, an official with the paramilitary Basij force, as saying the judge also ordered the two apps blocked.

Alghasi Mehr denied that the two apps are about to be filtered.

He added that the complaints by individuals are being reviewed.

Based on reporting by Mehr and IRNA