ICT Minister: We did not compromise on people’s rights, will not do so

“Providing high-quality and stable internet will not be possible unless the issue of blocking in the country is resolved, because restrictions and the widespread use of circumvention tools have harmed network quality and the digital economy,” he stated.

Hashemi made the remarks in an address to the Iranian nation late on Tuesday, in which he provided a detailed report on the ICT Ministry’s performance in the last two years since President Pezeshkian entered office.

“The plans that had been designed for a four-year period could not, in practice, be fully implemented given the circumstances prevailing in the country, because over the past two years the country has, at various times, faced the 12-day war in 2025, the 40-day war in 2026, and the tragic events of January 2026, and has been directly or indirectly involved in war.”

Maintaining Existing Situation during Wartime a Major Achievement

He said that under wartime conditions, maintaining the existing situation constitutes a major undertaking.

“During the recent war, more than 500 communications sites across the country were damaged, and a significant portion of the investment made in this sector was hit. Under such circumstances, given the limited resources—and their further reduction during wartime—the most important effort was to ensure that people could maintain communications with one another and that services provided over the country’s communications network would continue.”

Hashemi continued: “Over the past two years and at several points, due to security and wartime conditions, we witnessed disruptions to communications, specifically the internet, and the relevant authorities had made such a determination. Nevertheless, our colleagues worked around the clock to ensure that communications services remained available to the people.”

We Did Not Compromise in Pursuing Rights of People

The Minister emphasized that the internet is a public right, saying “Some people may disagree with this view and believe that the internet is not a necessity for everyone, but this claim does not have a precise scientific, economic, or political basis.”

“Despite such views, which make the work of us and our colleagues more difficult, we did not compromise with anyone in pursuing the rights of the people, and we will not do so.”

Referring to the pressures and challenges along this path, he added “Despite the extremely heavy pressures and the many challenges we faced, we did not retreat from the commitment we had made to the people. We tried to provide fair and free access to the circulation of information in the country, and we will continue along this path.”

Hashemi noted the support of the President for this approach, saying “The special support of Dr. Pezeshkian along this path was extremely helpful and instrumental.”

Blocking not on our Agenda

He said that a significant portion of the ICT Ministry’s efforts during this period had focused on the internet and its restrictions.

“The reality is that our objective from the beginning was not to work on the fundamental issue of the internet and its restrictions, but the circumstances prevailing in our country brought us to this point.”

Referring to the President’s view of the internet issue, the Minister said, “Dr. Pezeshkian made a noteworthy observation at one meeting. He said that if we want to judge the extent to which people use circumvention tools.”

“Instead of going to places that may not be an accurate representation of society, we should stand outside a mosque and ask people how much they use circumvention tools. This alone is sufficiently indicative of the reality that exists,” he added.

No Additional Int’’ Platforms were Blocked

Highlighting President Pezeshkian’s policy regarding international platforms, he said “No new international platforms were blocked in this administration, despite the fact that we are criticized in various meetings for seeking to provide people with access to different platforms.”

“If we want to provide people with high-quality internet, we must resolve the issue of circumvention tools and the system of restrictions and blocking. These two issues cannot be separated from one another. Given the development of technology, if access is allowed from one point, the related services will ultimately become available to people in one form or another.”

Technology Moves beyond Passive Approach

The ICT Minister further emphasized that a passive approach to technology is not an effective response.

“Technology has already moved beyond a passive approach in the past, and it will do so in the future as well. The skill lies in using technology and taking advantage of its capabilities.”

Hashemi continued: “Many of the developments that have occurred over the past year did not exist a year ago. If, in order to create access, we continue saying ‘restrict this,’ ‘block that,’ ‘allow one person access and deny it to another,’ it is natural that internet quality will suffer.”

“If access is restricted at a particular point pursuant to existing resolutions, we should not allow this to harm internet quality,” Hashemi noted.

Special Headquarters for Organizing and Steering Cyberspace

Hashemi identified the establishment of the Special Headquarters for Organizing and Steering Cyberspace as one of the important measures of the government.

“One of the special decisions of this headquarters was to reopen the internet, and one of its important functions is also to address issues related to the digital economy and remove obstacles to challenges in this sector.”

He pointed out: “The digital economy faces different challenges in various areas, and if there is no institution to coordinate among different government bodies, with the executive branch playing the central role and in interaction with the other branches of government, these challenges will increase day by day.”

The ICT Minister also criticized the increase in directives and circulars in this area, saying, “This situation makes the environment increasingly restrictive for actors in the digital-economy ecosystem.”

Stakeholder Participation in Decision-Making

Referring to the President’s emphasis on stakeholder participation, he said “If we are talking about the digital economy, we need to see who created this sector. If the government does its job properly, it facilitates matters—and in fact, it is better for it not to do anything else. It is the private sector that has entered the field and advanced the country’s digital economy.”

“The private sector has a permanent and official membership in the Special Headquarters for Organizing and Steering Cyberspace, although we are still some distance from the desired point, and we are not claiming that all problems have been solved.”

Rejecting the accumulation of various directives and circulars, he said “The fact that there is such a strong inclination toward regulation and drafting directives may appear on the surface to be facilitation, but in many cases, a different path is actually being followed.”

Internet Instability Threatens Investment in Digital Economy

Hashemi said the question “How long will the internet remain connected?” has now become a public concern.

“This question has profound significance. It shows that our decision-making system does not have a stable structure. When conditions are not stable, investment in this sector is no longer justified.”

The Minister continued: “The first thing an investor considers is how ready and stable the underlying infrastructure is.”

“If this instability continues, we may soon face an imbalance in the communications sector, in which case the digital economy will suffer serious damage, and achieving the position envisioned in the Vision Document will also become more difficult.”

Cyberspace Governance not Solely ICT Ministry’s Issue

He emphasized that cyberspace is not merely a technical issue falling under the responsibility of the ICT Ministry.

“The idea that cyberspace means the ICT Ministry is wrong and has no connection to reality.”

Citing the experience of recent years, he added: “Whenever we have tried to improve cyberspace governance solely through technical tools, we have achieved the opposite result.”

“In 2022, given the circumstances in the country and the events related to Mahsa Amini, access to international platforms was broadly restricted and blocked. Network traffic declined significantly for a period, but then it returned, and something else happened: the use of circumvention tools expanded.”

“In 2025, when the issue of so-called ‘white SIM cards’ became public—the relevant resolution dates back to 2020—a noteworthy development occurred. Something that had been considered a negative in 2022 reached the point where some people spoke proudly about using circumvention tools.”

He added: “This is despite the fact that some continue to insist that this trend should continue, but such an approach is not sustainable.”

Starlink a Serious Challenge

Referring to the expansion of satellite constellations, Hashemi said that the use of Starlink and satellite constellations has become a serious challenge.

“About a year ago, I presented a detailed analytical report on the expansion of satellite constellations to the Supreme Council of Cyberspace. Based on a precise international report, I explained that these constellations are rapidly becoming widespread.”

He continued: “My emphasis was that our own direction should also be toward making maximum use of satellite constellations. What happened during the 40-day war showed that this warning was not without reason: a significant portion of the country’s traffic shifted toward the use of Starlink, and at such a point governance of the issue loses its relevance.”

Restoring Internet not Possible with President’s Support

The ICT Minister continued his report to the nation referring to the role of the President and First Vice President in facilitating the Ministry’s operation.

“If it had not been for the perseverance of Dr. Aref, the establishment of the Special Headquarters for Organizing and Steering Cyberspace, and the around-the-clock efforts of our colleagues at the Ministry of Communications, the lock on the internet in the country would not have been lifted so easily, and the country would have suffered considerable damage as a result.”

Hashemi stressed: “Over these two years, extremely serious pressure was placed on the government and the ICT Ministry. Even the country’s managers, commanders, and scientists came under pressure because of issues related to the internet and certain platforms.”

“At the time when the internet was disconnected, many of the country’s security officials, were working under same conditions. Therefore, the idea that shutting down the internet alone can solve the country’s security problems is not defensible.”

High-Quality Internet after Removal of Blocking

Hashemi emphasized the need to provide people with high-quality and stable internet, saying “This goal will not be achieved unless the filtering issue in the country is resolved.”

Referring to the experience surrounding the funeral procession of the martyred Leader of the Revolution, he said “At that time, despite the pressure, the internet was shut down again, but the people themselves stepped forward and produced content, and the direction of content on international platforms was favorable to the country. This shows that we are taking the wrong path.”

“Restrictions harm internet quality, and strong evidence and arguments on this issue have been presented in various meetings.”

Circumvention Tools Contaminated Country’s Network

Referring to the consequences of widespread use of circumvention tools, he said: “The use of circumvention tools has turned our network into one of the most contaminated networks in the world and has also caused serious cultural damage. We are pursuing this issue without glossing it over and with evidence and arguments in various meetings.”

“If we have accepted today that we are living in the era of artificial intelligence, we must also accept today’s language and circumstances. If we do not accept this reality, technology will impose itself on us.”

He cited the experience of the arrival of new technologies in previous years and said: “Just as we once faced this phenomenon with video and later with satellite dishes, today Starlink is before us, and when it comes to making decisions about it, it will very soon be too late.”

Government Supports Opening Up, Not Blocking

The ICT Minister referring to government’s plans before the 12-day war in 2025 and said: “One of the important developments under this administration was that the path was one of opening up, not blocking.”

“As a first step, people were given the ability to use phones based on the iOS operating system, and these phones were registered. This was important because part of the digital-economy ecosystem operates on iOS.”

Hashemi continued: “Under this administration, the Google Play marketplace was also made available to the public, and one of the most widely used international platforms in the world, WhatsApp, was unblocked.”

Communications Equity by Redefining Rural Coverage

Referring to the President’s emphasis on equity, he said: “Dr. Pezeshkian has a particular focus on equity, and this is a key concept that is continuously emphasized in government meetings. Equity and education are two concepts that are also very important to me.”

“At the beginning of my tenure at the ICT Ministry, while reviewing statistics and figures concerning rural coverage, we encountered a serious problem. Members of Parliament were telling us that what appeared in green on your dashboards could not be seen in the field and that rural residents were dissatisfied.”

Hashemi added: “When this issue was repeated during provincial trips as well, we decided to redefine the matter.”

Referring to the change in reporting procedures, he said: “We held meetings with members of Parliament, and provincial managers also participated in these meetings either in person or via videoconference.”

“We changed the previous procedure: the provincial manager, whether the ICT manager or the telecommunications manager, presents the managers: if you provide statistics, they must be tangible to the people. If something has not been done, there is no problem in stating that and apologizing for province’s report, and the people’s representative hears the report right there.”

Hashemi stressed: “This method ensures that reports cannot be unrealistic. We also established a red line for managers: if you provide statistics, they must be tangible to the people. If something has not been done, there is no problem in stating that and apologizing for it. But the figure we give the people must be real and must not be contrary to reality.”

Above 3,500 Villages Connected to High-Quality Internet

The ICT Minister referring to the re-auditing of the country’s rural coverage and said: “With this approach, we audited the entire rural coverage of the country once again, and the percentage of completion of the project known as USO declined considerably. In practice, we began a new path in which the quality of communications was also taken into account.”

“Under President Pezeshkian’s administration, more than 3,500 villages gained access to high-speed internet with suitable quality, and more than 16 trillion tomans were invested for this purpose.”

Hashemi added that the objective of these measures was not merely to connect villages to the internet.

“The red line we established for deputies and managers was that, ultimately, rural residents must benefit from education, because educational equity cannot be achieved without access to a stable, high-quality communications infrastructure.”

Connecting Schools to Communications Network a Step to Educational Equity

He continued: “It is not possible to send teachers who are present in major cities such as Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Tabriz to every village. But if we have stable, high-quality communications infrastructure in a village and provide educational content to students, we can reduce the digital divide and gap.”

Referring to the President’s emphasis on making schools smart, he said: “Alongside expanding communications coverage, we also placed school digitalization on the agenda, and at this stage, 1,300 schools across the country have been connected at appropriate speeds and with stable communications infrastructure.”

Hashemi added: “This connection helps educational content reach schools as well. During provincial trips, I try to see these conditions firsthand because I am a teacher myself and I am sensitive to this issue.”

“Our plan is to connect all schools in the country to the network with suitable quality, and afterward to be able to make the content capacity of private-sector platforms fairly available to students throughout the country.”

Space Industry Development Pursued Vigorously

The Minister, referring to the development of the space industry under President Pezeshkian’s administration, said: “Satellites and the development of the space industry were another area that was pursued vigorously, and several important developments and ‘firsts’ in the country’s space industry were achieved under this administration.”

“For the first time, we were able to place three satellites into orbit simultaneously in cooperation with Russia. The important point was that these three satellites had been developed with three different approaches: one satellite led by the government, one led by the defense sector, and one led by universities and the private sector.”

Hashemi continued: “The simultaneous placement of these satellites into orbit represented a special and significant leap forward for the country’s space industry.”

Chabahar Launch Site Made Significant Progress

Referring to damage to some launch infrastructure under wartime conditions, he said: “Some of the launch infrastructure was damaged under wartime conditions, but the first phase of the Chabahar site has made significant progress, with its level of completion increasing from approximately 40 percent to 98 percent.”

The ICT Minister emphasized the importance of the site, saying: “Chabahar has a special location for the placement of the country’s communications and remote-sensing satellites.”

“Regarding the Nahid-2 satellite, for the first time we will place a satellite into orbit in the Ku band, with women serving as the project leadership, and it will have telecommunications functions.”

Three Satellites to be Placed into Orbit this Year

Also referring to the Shahid Soleimani constellation program, he said: “Our plan is that this year, God willing, for the first time, we will simultaneously place three satellites from the Shahid Soleimani constellation into orbit.”

“The Shahid Soleimani constellation consists of 24 satellites: 18 primary satellites and six reserve satellites. Three satellites from this group have been scheduled for simultaneous deployment into orbit this year, while the remaining satellites are planned for deployment in future years.”

100% Connectivity for Villages above 20 Households

The ICT Minister stressed: “One of our main responsibilities is to connect 100 percent of villages with more than 20 households to the internet with suitable quality.”

“We are pursuing this as one of the special priorities of the 14th administration.”

Technology Diplomacy to Expand Digital Economy

Hashemi, referring to the ICT Ministry’s focus on technology diplomacy, said: “One of the areas we pursued particularly was technology diplomacy. The digital economy within the country has a ceiling limited by the country’s geographical boundaries, but through interaction with countries in the region, we can introduce our capacities to different countries.”

“Accordingly, we placed technology diplomacy on the agenda and initiated and pursued extensive interactions in various forums.”

Highlighting his approach to foreign and provincial visits, he said: “I have emphasized to my deputies that travel for the sake of travel has no meaning. After every trip, it should be clear what we have brought back for the country, the digital-economy ecosystem, and the communications sector.”

“During provincial trips, we also try, as much as possible, to see conditions in the field so that we can have a realistic and operational assessment of the situation.”

Artificial Intelligence needs Skilled Workforce

Referring to the ICT Ministry’s plans in the field of artificial intelligence, he said: “In this area, we need to design and pursue several areas simultaneously, one of the most important of which is human resources.”

“The plan calls for training 500,000 skilled workers for the development of the digital economy, and artificial intelligence will be one of the most important pillars of the digital economy.”

He continued: “The ‘Digital Iran’ program has also been designed along these lines, and through cooperation among the ICT Ministry, the Ministry of Education, and the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, various skills are being taught to students starting from the first level of secondary school so that, in the coming years, they will be able to enter the labor market.”

 Establishing Artificial Intelligence Operators

Hashemi identified the development of infrastructure and the establishment of artificial intelligence operators as another important area in AI, saying: “The private sector should initially be able to obtain preliminary approval and then a license, and enter investment with a reasonable rate of return.”

“Given the government’s limited resources, it is not possible to finance all the necessary investments from government resources, and one of the special developments that will take place during this period will be the establishment of artificial intelligence operators in the country.”

The ICT Minister noted: “Approximately one year of expert work has been carried out on this issue, and the views of various individuals, particularly those from the private sector, have been collected.”

“Of course, this does not mean preventing startup or knowledge-based companies from operating, and any company can establish infrastructure for itself. But at the national and macro level, a major entity needs to enter the field and pursue this work on a large scale.”

President Pezeshkian Safeguards National Consensus

In another part of his remarks, the ICT Minister said: “President Pezeshkian truly represents a special model of consensus. I have repeatedly seen that many times he does not speak and puts himself aside so that national consensus can be preserved, and this is a very difficult and challenging thing to do.”

“The ICT Ministry has drawn inspiration from Dr. Pezeshkian’s consensus-based approach,” he added.

Private Sector Must be Present in Decision-Making

The ICT Minister emphasized: “The private sector insists that no decision within the ICT Ministry, within the ministry’s authority, should proceed without the approval and participation of the private sector, and this demonstrates our interaction with the private sector.”

“The private sector must also be present in the Special Headquarters for Organizing and Steering Cyberspace. There may be a debate in the Supreme Council of Cyberspace regarding voting rights, but what matters is that the private sector be involved in the decision-making process from beginning to end.”

Hashemi stressed: “My red line has been that issues should not be finalized behind closed doors, and we have pursued this approach throughout the Ministry of Communications.”

All Postal Items Delivered in Wartime

The ICT Minister, referring to the performance of the postal network under wartime conditions, said: “We did not allow even a single postal item to remain undelivered. The employees of the National Post Company and postal workers are extremely hardworking and unassuming, and they possess great dignity. Even under wartime conditions, they did not allow services to stop.”

“We also continuously evaluate the daily activities and performance of this organization through surveys of the public. Frankly, the services provided by the National Post Company have been notable and significant in periodic surveys.”

Data-Driven Governance must Make People’s Lives Easier

At the end, the ICT Minister stressed: “The ultimate goal of all these measures—from the development of communications and rural equity to smartification, the digital economy, space technology, and data-driven governance—is to provide people with higher-quality, more stable, and fairer services.”