The Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eisa Zarepour, addressed the challenges and limitations facing the country’s internet infrastructure, attributing a significant portion of these issues to international sanctions. Zarepour’s comments shed light on the impact of sanctions on internet access in Iran.
Minister of Communications Addresses Internet Restrictions and Sanctions
According to IDEA, During a meeting with digital economy stakeholders in Zanjan province, Zarepour responded to criticism from one attendee, who raised concerns about internet filtering and the unavailability of a service called Bitbucket. In response, Zarepour stated that the error 403 on Bitbucket is a direct result of sanctions. He emphasized that many websites and services, essential for the development of Iran’s digital economy, have been inaccessible due to these sanctions.
He further elaborated, “Sanctions are indeed a separate issue that needs to be resolved, and we have solutions for that. We are not blocking, we are not filtering. Despite claiming to support human rights and the Iranian people, the United States has imposed restrictions on over 300,000 websites and services, many of which are essential tools for our digital economy.”
Zarepour also discussed domestic workarounds for circumventing sanctions, noting, “In a recent gathering, someone told me that Google Developer has also been blocked. This service, too, displays an error 403. The solution we have for this is an online 403, which we have launched with the help of the private sector. Additionally, within the Communication Infrastructure Company, we have a service called ‘Traffic Management,’ which allows users to access many restricted websites without even realizing they are circumventing sanctions.”
Zarepour highlighted the launch of the 403 service in Bahman 1401 (January 2023), which aimed to provide programmers and developers with access to services previously unavailable to Iranians.
In closing, the Minister of Communications stated, “We are on your side, and the narrative is being portrayed incorrectly. It is considered a limitation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government when, in fact, these limitations do not originate from us. We have even taken steps to alleviate them.” This statement underscores the Iranian government’s efforts to improve internet access despite the challenges imposed by international sanctions.
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