In New York City, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is talking softly, while his government has started blocking Google services and a brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards is threatening a pre-emptive strike on Israel.

While saber-rattling has long been part of Iran’s foreign policy towards the West, Iran does finally seems to be making good on its promises to break Internet ties with the rest of the world. According to reports from Tehran in Al Arabiya, an Iranian official has stated that “Due to the repeated demands of the people, Google and Gmail will be filtered nationwide. They will remain filtered until further notice.”

Other reports agree that Iranians can no longer reach Google search and Gmail. Your Middle East, a self-declared independent source of news on the Middle East, reports that a high Iranian official in charge of Internet access said that closing the door to Google was in response to the recent YouTube video mocking the prophet Mohammad.

Iran starts closing Internet as saber-rattling continues. More >