Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been summoned to court in Iran to answer allegations that Instagram and WhatsApp violate users' privacy, Digital Spy reported.

Although the entrepreneur is unlikely to attend the hearing as there is no extradition agreement between Iran and the US, both apps are said to have been blocked in the territory as a result of the dispute.

The report came to light via local news agency ISNA, naming paramilitary Basij force official Ruhollah Momen Nasab as its source.

"According to the court's ruling, the Zionist director of the company of Facebook, or his official attorney must appear in court to defend himself and pay for possible losses," he is quoted as saying.

The news follows word that another Iranian court had ordered the blocking of Instagram over privacy concerns, but reports from the capital city of Tehran suggest it is still accessible.

Fellow social networks Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are already blocked in Iran.