In Tehran going to an internet cafe could be about to get easier, because Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has urged Iran’s clerics to accept new technologies, including the internet.

He faces opposition on the issue from conservative clerics who say mobile internet makes sharing immoral images easier.

Hassan Rouhani denied this. “We cannot close the gates of the world to our young generation,” he said. “In today’s world, if you don’t understand the internet and don’t use it, you cannot be an expert or even learn to be one.”

Iran curtailed media freedom and internet access in 2009 following widespread protests against the country’s leaders, banning services including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

In recent weeks the government has awarded 3G licences to three mobile broadband companies, despite clerics complaining that it would allow people to share immoral images more easily.