Khamenei’s Firewall: Iran’s Regime Rolls Out Class-Based Internet to Reward Loyalty
Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace has enacted a tiered internet system, granting privileged access to regime allies while heavily censoring the general public. The policy, exposed during a June 2025 blackout, intensifies digital repression and surveillance, drawing widespread criticism for undermining freedom.
Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace, chaired by President Masoud Pezeshkian but controlled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s appointees and Revolutionary Guard officials, implemented a “class-based internet” system, granting unrestricted access to regime loyalists while confining ordinary citizens to a heavily censored national network. This digital divide, described as “digital apartheid” by activists, was exposed during a 50-hour internet blackout in June 2025 following Israeli airstrikes, when international traffic plummeted to under 10%, yet regime communications remained operational. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani denied the policy on social media, claiming, “The government emphasizes a free, inclusive, and high-quality internet for all citizens.” However, she had previously admitted, “Naturally, if a journalist needs more open internet access, it must be provided,” inadvertently confirming the tiered system.
The regime’s censorship infrastructure, bolstered by deep packet inspection and TCP reset attacks, targets VPNs, which were banned in February 2024 by Khamenei’s order to curb circumvention tools. Over 100,000 illegal Starlink terminals operate in Iran, tolerated to allow intelligence gathering on black market access. Internet providers raised prices 30-40% in 2024, further limiting access for the public. Freedom House ranks Iran’s internet environment as the world’s third most repressive, while Reporters Without Borders places Iran 176th out of 180 in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index, calling it “one of the world’s five biggest prisons for media personnel” since the 1979 revolution. Major platforms like X, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, and others remain blocked or filtered.
During the June 2025 blackout, regime-linked accounts on banned platforms like X posted propaganda, with one user mocking Israelis: “You go crawl into your bunkers. We’re standing tall in Tehran for Seyyed Ali.” The policy, part of the National Information Network push since 2012, has sparked outrage, with a Tehran outlet warning of a “social explosion” over digital inequality. With 84% of Iran’s 80 million people online, the tiered system deepens repression, rewarding loyalty while isolating dissenters.