Foreign media point out that Iran plans to isolate most users within a closed framework called the “National Information Network,” further tightening control, raising concerns about information silos.
(Background: Trump “suspended attack on Iran” but still deployed US troops: they assured me they would stop persecuting protesters)
(Additional context: After forty years of sanctions, how Iran is rebuilding financial channels through encryption)

Table of Contents

• How does the dual-network architecture work?
• Political pressure behind network disconnection
• Long-term cultural and cognitive divides
• Bitcoin as a “resistance element”

Iran entered an unprecedented digital dark age this month, with internet services down for extended periods, traffic nearly zero, attracting global attention. To make matters worse, foreign media report that the Tehran government plans to promote a permanent dual-network scheme, isolating most users within a closed structure called the “National Information Network”(NIN), further strengthening control.

How does the dual-network architecture work?

According to Filterwatch, Iran plans to direct national traffic to internal servers. In the future, citizens will only be able to use monitored domestic communication services, officially approved video platforms, and financial systems.

Meanwhile, the “whitelist” connecting to the global internet is only open to government departments, state media, and some research units. At the same time, reliance on VPN loopholes may become ineffective, and Starlink signal interference rates have increased to 80%.

Domestic instant messaging applications can only operate within enterprises after obtaining necessary high-level security permissions. In this mode, communication will be limited to internal team exchanges (enterprise instant messaging apps), and peer-to-peer (P2P) communication outside organizational networks will be blocked.

This measure effectively isolates professional communication and ensures that private sector data transmission channels are fully monitorable.

Political pressure behind network disconnection

Protests that erupted at the end of 2025 continue to simmer, with death tolls exceeding 3,000 (some reports say over ten thousand). Facing unprecedented challenges to the ruling core, Tehran has chosen to cut off information flow under pressure, with blocking seen as a necessary measure to maintain stability.

Iranian human rights organizations indicate that suppression strategies are advancing alongside long-term internet isolation to reduce the leakage of protest images and data.

Long-term cultural and cognitive divides

More than half of Iran’s population is under 35 years old, and the younger generation is accustomed to showcasing their lives online and discussing business via WhatsApp. Now, forced to turn to domestic platforms, there are concerns that information gaps will deepen intergenerational and class tensions. A university student in Tehran said, “We even find it difficult to research papers, let alone collaborate with foreign entrepreneurs.”

Experts warn that if the country continues to maintain information silos, it could lead to talent outflow and stagnation in R&D. A scholar who previously served as a Middle East advisor to the US government stated, “Separating the educated middle class from the global economy is like cutting off future growth arteries.”

Bitcoin as a “resistance element”

On the other hand, Iran’s national fiat currency has also collapsed. According to the latest report from blockchain data analysis firm Chainalysis, Iran’s crypto ecosystem has surged to $7.8 billion: citizens are massively withdrawing Bitcoin from exchanges to personal custody wallets.

Chainalysis emphasizes in its report that the pattern of Iranians transferring Bitcoin from exchanges to unowned personal wallets best illustrates the current situation. The report states:

This behavior reflects a rational response to the collapse of the Iranian rial, which has almost lost all value.

Chainalysis analysts describe Bitcoin as “an element of resistance,” believing that in an environment with increasingly strict economic controls, it provides people with liquidity and asset allocation flexibility. In other words, Bitcoin’s censorship resistance and self-custody features fill a vacuum that traditional financial systems cannot reach.

However, Iran’s cryptocurrency ecosystem is not entirely driven by civilians. Chainalysis data shows that addresses associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) received over $3 billion in cryptocurrencies last year, accounting for 50% of the overall crypto ecosystem in Q4 2025.