Iran is making moves to ban Instagram over national security concerns, Telegraph quotes local media as saying.

The country’s National Cyberspace Council has approved steps to block Instagram which will make the photo-sharing app join already banned social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Telegram.

The country says the apps have been used to spread anti-government messages and internet providers have been ordered to block access to the services.

Citizens however, continue to use the apps by routing traffic through an overseas internet address.

The country’s president Hassan Rouhani has an Instagram account with over 2 million followers and also operates a Twitter account, even though the micro-blogging platform has been banned in the country since 2009.

Photo Credit: Instagram – @hrouhani