Cultural Deputy of the IRGC: We Have Only Succeeded in Attracting Hezbollah Users Online

The Cultural Deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) emphasized the necessity of establishing a 'National Information Network' and stated that regarding the use of cyberspace, 'we have succeeded with the Hezbollah demographic but have failed with the gray segment of society.' According to reports from several news websites, including Nasim Online and Entekhab, Hossein Nejat claimed that the reason for the failure of the recent coup in Turkey was the existence of an 'information network within' that country which 'did not fall into the hands of the army.' On Saturday, August 14, in a speech, Nejat categorized cyberspace into three levels: 'governance, management, and user level,' stating that 'at the governance level, we must create independence in cyberspace.' He reiterated the necessity of establishing a national information network in Iran and added that the failure of the recent coup in Turkey was due to the information network being internal and not under military control. Regarding the 'management level in cyberspace,' Nejat mentioned that 'at this level, we must be able to replace current applications.' He added, 'At the third level, which is the user level in cyberspace, we have succeeded with the Hezbollah demographic but have failed with the gray segment of society.' He emphasized, 'If we can attract the gray segment, we can overcome enemy attacks through this very gray segment.' A significant number of clerics and military personnel ruling Iran believe that the internet and social networks are tools of 'soft war' and 'espionage' by the West against the Islamic Republic and that strict oversight should be applied to this space. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has previously referred to cyberspace as the real battlefield. On Saturday, September 5, 2015, in his appointment of new members to the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, he assigned missions such as 'purifying cyberspace,' 'accelerating the establishment of a national information network,' and 'preventing cultural and social damage' to this council. For years, Islamic Republic officials have spoken about the necessity of establishing a 'National Information Network' in Iran, a plan that critics say aims to separate Iran's internal network from the global internet. However, Islamic Republic officials have stated that the establishment of this plan is not aimed at limiting citizens' access to the internet. Meanwhile, centers within the IRGC have been established to deal with internet activists, and in recent years, reports have emerged of the arrest of dozens who, according to this organization, published content in cyberspace aimed at 'insulting Islamic sanctities' or 'insulting' Islamic Republic officials. These organizations, along with others that receive funding from the Iranian government, also have plans to launch 'indigenous applications.' These actions, and even the necessity of using VPNs, have not diminished the interest of Iranian users in this regard, and a large population from within Iran is present on virtual networks. After the JCPOA, 'they seem to want to pursue same-sex marriage projects in Iran,' said the Cultural Deputy of the IRGC, referring to 'JCPOA 2 and 3,' and added that 'it seems that after the JCPOA, they want to pursue the same-sex marriage project in Iran.' He described 'sanctions, infiltration, and changing beliefs' as among the methods of the 'enemy' to confront the Islamic Republic and emphasized that 'the enemy's greed knows no bounds.' Hassan Rouhani, the President, in his Nowruz message, referred to the elections of February 26, 2016, as the beginning of 'JCPOA 2' and stated that 'this JCPOA begins with ethics before economics.' Hours after these remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei, in his speech in Mashhad, criticized without naming names the discussion of 'JCPOAs 2 and 3' and those who, according to him, have pinned their hopes on negotiations with the U.S. to solve the country's problems. Following this, several close associates of the Supreme Leader, including Friday prayer leaders, criticized the discussion of 'JCPOAs 2 and 3.' In this context, there are concerns among some judicial and security officials regarding the Pokémon Go game. The Secretary of the Cyber Council stated: 'Telegram is ready to transfer its servers to Iran.' Amnesty International reported new attacks against women's rights activists in Iran. A member of the Cyber Council stated: '60% of internet bandwidth in Iran is spent on Telegram.'