Call to Use China’s Experience in National Information Network and Internet Restrictions in Iran

Ali Yazdikhah, Tehran’s representative in parliament, has stated that China has “achieved a unique and exclusive approach in launching a national information network” and Iran should use this country’s experience for “launching a national information network,” which aims to impose severe internet restrictions.

In an interview with ILNA news agency, he also named Russia as another successful country in this field and said that the country should benefit from Russia’s experience as well.

The Iranian government has long sought to separate the domestic internet (intranet) from the global internet under the name of launching a “national network” for security reasons and to control protests and suppress or censor suppression events. This plan, referred to as “the switch to disconnect from the global internet,” is scheduled to be finalized by the end of 2023.

In March this year, Mahmoud Nabavian, vice chairman of Article 90 Commission of the Iranian parliament, referring to the details of the 25-year Iran-China cooperation document, had stated that after signing this document “it is very important that by cooperating with the Chinese, we can have sovereignty over our virtual space.”

The signing of the 25-year Iran-China cooperation document in March 2021, which was pursued and implemented by order of the Islamic Republic’s leader, faced widespread criticism both inside and outside Iran and is referred to on social networks as the “selling Iran to China” document.

Iranian government officials announced on December 15 this year that the operational stages of implementing this document have begun.

The implementation of this document is announced while in recent months, officials of the Islamic Republic have not shown a transparent approach regarding the “25-year Iran-China cooperation document,” have refrained from publishing its details, and have not provided clear answers to criticisms and concerns in this regard.

Expanding security cooperation between Iran and China, including launching a national internet network, has been among the criticisms and concerns raised repeatedly over the past year.

As the Islamic Consultative Assembly Research Center estimated in May this year, until last year, approximately 19 trillion tomans had been spent on creating a “national internet.”

Furthermore, the Ministry of Communications is authorized in next year’s budget to allocate 10 trillion tomans for the national information network through various methods, including selling the ministry’s assets.

Iran’s government planning and investment for further internet restrictions is occurring at a time when “Freedom House” in its latest report for 2021 announced the internet freedom index of countries worldwide, and in this table Iran is ranked among the worst countries with the least internet freedom—even lower than countries such as Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan.

Source: Radio Farda