Fateful Meeting in Baharestan: Minister of Communications Summoned to Determine Internet Status
This evening, the eyes of millions of Iranian users and online business owners are fixed on the Baharestan building (Parliament), where the helm-holder of the Ministry of Communications is scheduled to answer regarding the internet status and the end date of the digital blackout.
2:00 PM: Baharestan’s Deadline for Transparency
According to the official announcement by the Vice Chairman of the Parliament’s Industries and Mines Commission, Sattar Hashemi, the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, is scheduled to appear before this commission today at exactly 2:00 PM (Tuesday, January 20). The agenda is nothing short of reviewing the latest internet status and hearing the ministry’s performance report regarding potential openings.
Seyyed Javad Hosseini-Kia emphasized in interviews with the media that the main topic is to explain current conditions and answer existing ambiguities regarding the time for lifting filtering. The Minister’s presence in the Industries Commission—considered Parliament’s supervisory arm over the country’s technical infrastructure—indicates that Parliament’s patience with the slow restoration of the network has run out, and representatives demand executive guarantees for reconnection.
Waiting for White Smoke from the Parliament Chimney
This meeting takes place amidst heightened speculation regarding tests of the National Information Network (NIN) and a tiered internet. Tech ecosystem activists hope the output of the 2:00 PM session does not end in mere generalities and distant promises.
Many experts believe the Minister must present a clear roadmap to exit this communication deadlock. Will good news be transmitted from Baharestan this evening, or will the tangled ball of the internet status remain complex? The answer will be determined in a few hours following the conclusion of this negotiation marathon between the government and Parliament.
