Majid Ansari, the legal deputy of President Pezeshkian, stated that high profits from VPN sellers hinder efforts to lift internet censorship.
Majid Ansari did not provide further details about these sellers’ identities or methods of gaining influence, nor did he clarify whether Pezeshkian’s administration has any plans to counter these groups.
Regime’s officials have stated that lifting internet filtering still requires approval from the Supreme Council of Cyberspace.
In parallel to Majid Ansari’s remarks, Ali Rabiei, Pezeshkian’s social advisor, mentioned in a post on X that filtering causes an annual loss of one billion dollars to the public and criticized the policy as ineffective.
Before Ansari’s statements, two members of parliament had also pointed out the financial interests of those supporting filtering.
Javad Nikbin and Gholamreza Nouri stated that some filtering policy advocates are involved in VPN sales themselves.
In response to these claims, the Minister of Communications called for a judicial investigation into the matter.
Before the elections, Iran’s regime President Pezeshkian promised users on X that “the government will stand firm against filtering and pressures.”
While Pezeshkian’s administration has raised hopes by promising to lift filtering, the Minister of Communications postponed this issue to a later date on October 13.
It is evident that entities such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order Headquarters, and the Foundation of the Oppressed, involved in telecommunications and internet affairs, are primary players in this monopoly.
Although regime officials attribute the failure to lift filtering to VPN mafia obstruction, statements from some non-administrative officials indicate other obstacles, including decisions at higher regime levels, also play a role.
Mehrdad Lahouti, a parliament member loyal to Khamenei, described lifting censorship as a security issue that, according to him, is largely unrelated to Pezeshkian.
According to Lahouti, a specific group now monopolizes VPN sales, profiting heavily from it.
Reports from regime-linked institutions indicate that 80% of internet users across various age groups use VPNs.
Approximately 30% of citizens spend 1.5 million rials (about $2.14) monthly on VPNs.
The Iranian regime uses the internet as a tool for repression and profit. In past popular uprisings, such as those in November 2019 and September 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini, the regime severely restricted or, at times, completely cut off citizens’ internet access to prevent the spread of protests.
