Islamic Republic: Use of VPNs Prohibited; USA: We Will Compensate

Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, in response to a question from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the "illegalization of VPNs in Iran" at a press conference on February 20, stated: "Supporting internet freedom and ensuring access for Iranian citizens to the internet remains one of the core pillars of our engagement in that country." The State Department spokesperson did not clarify how the Biden administration intends to compensate for this ban or at what level, but noted that during the peak of public protests two years ago, "one in three Iranians used American digital security and anti-censorship tools such as VPNs." According to him, millions of Iranian citizens still use these tools. U.S. administrations, regardless of which party is in power, have always stated that supporting human rights anywhere in the world is one of the cornerstones of U.S. foreign policy. According to Miller, this policy will continue towards the people of Iran. According to reports from Iranian media, Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, presented the ban on VPNs and the classification of their use as "illegal" for implementation to that council on Tuesday, February 20. The State Department spokesperson described this decision by the Islamic Republic of Iran once again as due to "the regime's fear of its own people and their ability to access the internet and information without barriers." According to reports from Iranian media that published the ban news, this decision by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace was issued for implementation with the approval of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. The State Department spokesperson referred to the billion-dollar losses that the internet shutdown by the Islamic Republic during those protests inflicted on businesses and ultimately the country's economy. A Voice of America reporter also inquired about the visit of Abram Pilie, the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran, to Vienna and his meeting with Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. According to Miller, "the development of Iran's nuclear program in a way that does not have a credible civilian justification" and "the continued production of highly enriched uranium" were the main topics of Pilie's discussion with Grossi. Abram Pilie shared a photo of his meeting with Grossi on Wednesday on the social media platform "X" (formerly Twitter). The State Department spokesperson did not provide further details about the content of the meeting. Gita Aryan, a senior reporter for the Persian section of Voice of America, primarily focuses on foreign policy news. She began her journalism career in 1987 with radio work and joined Voice of America in 2004.