Arash Deljoo

Let me explain more about our report: A portion of people’s needs are service-based platforms—such as online shopping, ride, and streaming. These services already have domestic customers and would not face major problems, since their user base is entirely inside the country. Internet service providers will likely move toward the brink of bankruptcy due to the lack of sufficient international traffic. As a result, we would see a sharp increase in the price of domestic traffic to compensate for these losses. Social networks: the users of these businesses are also inside Iran, not abroad. The main challenge would be the platform itself. For years, alternative domestic platforms have been built, but they have lacked users largely due to public disinterest. At this point, it is worth recalling a trend we observed during internet shutdowns amid the war with Israel: many Iranians migrated to alternative tools and platforms. This shows that under pressure, and in the absence of foreign services, such migration could happen again. It is important to note that for years the Islamic Republic has tried to embed these tools into everyday life. For example, for enrollment in some universities, you are required to have a domestic messaging app. Or during the COVID lockdowns, attending classes required using a domestic social network. Not to mention the partial acceptance within segments of civil society of the so-called “white SIM card,” which again indicates a degree of readiness to accept these conditions. Tiered (class-based) internet is essentially designed for exactly this kind of situation, and it manifests itself in the form of the white SIM card. https://lnkd.in/d2drwrSq

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The President 🇹🇯 & AI H.E. Emomali Rahmon isn’t just a Head of State. H.E. is literally the Founder of modern Tajik State. When he became the Head of State in 1992, Tajikistan was on the brink of collapse. Torn by a civil war that left >150,000 dead and the state budget at zero, odds were that young, post-Soviet Tajikistan would be erased from the map. The President brought national peace and laid the foundation for growth. When we were drafting the National AI Strategy back in 2021-22, our goal was to leapfrog stages of development through AI. Tajikistan’s economy has seen rapid growth (>8% GDP growth 8 years straight) and industrialization (20% average industrial growth in last 5 years). But what was lacking in our economic vision was a high-tech industry that would enable us to jump over stages of growth and avoid the middle-income trap. We understood that at current rates, once the economy reaches middle-income status over the coming decade, our cost advantages (labor & resources) would dissipate. The President’s belief in AI and our A7σ ecosystem has unlocked crucial milestones in just 3 years, including: —AI exports across industries — from fintech ( zypl.ai ) to defensetech — launched to two dozen markets globally; —Creation of >100 AI jobs and training of >700 AI engineers nationwide; —Attraction of >$10M in venture capital funding from leading global funds; —First global patent in AI for a synthetic outlier generator; —Launch of “Introduction to AI” pilot subject in schools that will turn >2 million students AI literate. Today, Tajikistan is at a historic crossroads in the AI era. Partial routing of our 60 GW annual hydro potential into AI compute can transform Tajikistan into a developed nation within a generation. The President has spearheaded this into a reality by unveiling darya.ai, Central Asia’s first green AI compute data center, on June 25. His vision of committing 500 MW for AI compute opens up historic opportunities for us. It was the President’s vision for Tajikistan’s future that brought me back home after 12 years in the US. I am excited to commit my career to turning my homeland into a global AI hub. Ba Pesh 🚀

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More than two weeks have passed, and internet access in Iran is still not restored for the general public. Despite official claims, this is not a technical outage. What we are witnessing is a deliberate, selective shutdown. The government has effectively cut internet access for the majority of the population, while keeping it available only for a limited group (White sim cards) closely aligned with state institutions primarily to enable monitoring, reporting, and control. For most citizens, access exists only through shared, community provided VPNs, and even then it is unstable, brief, and unreliable, often lasting just a few minutes at a time. This does not constitute real connectivity, nor does it allow for meaningful communication, work, education, or emergency coordination. From a risk and governance perspective, this is not merely an “internet restriction.” It is the intentional manipulation of national communication infrastructure, with serious consequences for human security, economic activity, information integrity, and public trust. In a world where digital access is foundational to modern life, cutting the internet for the many while preserving it for a select few is not control it is structural exclusion, and its long term costs will far outlast the shutdown itself. #InternetShutdown #DigitalRights #FreedomOfInformation #HumanRights #NetworkControl #Censorship #DigitalBlackoutIran #TelecomInfrastructure #InformationSecurity #HumanSecurity #StateSurveillance #AccessToInternet #Iran

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Iran is experiencing a period where economic pressure, social unrest, and constant uncertainty coexist. People are protesting and striking. Daily life is shaped by instability. For businesses, decisions are made under financial, social, and ethical pressure at the same time. In such conditions, crisis management is not about visibility or strong positioning. It is about staying functional, responsible, and genuinely useful. At miniRouter, our focus has been resilience over reaction: 1. Staying operational without fueling panic or speculation 2. Avoiding emotional pricing and crisis-driven sales pressure 3. Shifting from promotion to technical education and infrastructure readiness 4. Helping users make informed, not rushed, decisions 5. Issuing foreign-currency invoices instead of local pricing to reduce uncertainty 6. Supporting continuity under unstable conditions Our role is neither to amplify tension nor to step away. It is to reduce vulnerability and strengthen preparedness when systems are under stress. Crisis leadership is quiet. It shows in the stability you preserve when everything else is unstable.

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Another excellent item by Andrew Coyne in the The Globe and Mail. (link in comments) Coyne is correct; we are not even beginning to understand the impact of Trumps attack on Iran. Iran aspired to occupy, and extract wealth from, the Strait of Hormuz for centuries. And now that they have realized it, nothing short of massed invasion will cause them to release it. US shale production has begun its irresolvable decline. The US southwest faces catastrophic snow drought this year, a critical challenge which will endure and escalate. US sovereign debt is unsustainable at three times that of Canada's per capita. Paths of the US and Canada have diverged and while Trump substantially contributed to that divergence he is not the fundamental cause, and his exit three years from now does not offer solution. The only solution lies in Canada urgently building a productive and sovereign economy capable of serving the emerging, and overwhelming, demand for food, energy, fertilizer, and critical minerals

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There is something very special about speaking with other professional women, especially mothers. When three women talk, the line between professional life and personal life naturally fades because we all know how deeply integrated those worlds are, even when we are expected to present them separately. It is also a strange feeling to read your own words back. But this conversation reminded me why I do what I do. I have worked in children’s media for many years, and one thing I love about building for children is that it gives you a moral compass. Especially when you are a parent. You are constantly checking yourself: Would I let my own child use this? Watch this? Learn from this? And maybe that is what keeps me grounded. More than anything, I want to build something my daughter can one day look at and feel proud of, not just because it succeeded, but because it was built with care, integrity, and a real sense of responsibility toward children. Thank you, Anushka Kalyanpur De Luca, Constanze Munz, and the Motherhood in Motion team for creating such an honest and thoughtful space to talk about motherhood, ambition, AI, and the future our children are growing into. KidsAI Tulin Ulkutay Eris #ailiteracyforchildren #kidsai #responsibleai #oliiaiskillsplatform

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Internet access in Iran has been shut down for nearly two months now! When the situation becomes difficult to control for regime, access to information is often the first thing to disappear. Communication is cut, visibility is reduced, and the outside world is left with only fragments of reality. In the past, these blackouts have come with serious consequences for Iranian people, thousands of lives lost while the world could barely see. Information control is one of the most powerful tools any government can use. When people can’t share what they’re seeing or experiencing, the truth becomes easier to hide or reshape. But beyond politics, there is a human and economic cost that is impossible to ignore: - Businesses that rely on digital infrastructure come to a halt - Freelancers and remote workers lose their income overnight - Startups and entrepreneurs see years of effort disrupted - Students and professionals lose access to education and opportunities. And these are only a few of the consequences people are facing every single day. This is not just about connectivity. It’s about livelihoods, futures, and basic access to the global community. Silence from the international community risks normalizing these actions. ***Awareness matters. Conversations matter. Attention matters.*** As an Iranian, I feel a responsibility to speak up, because millions of my people cannot freely speak for themselves right now. Free internet is not a luxury. It is a basic human right. Free Internet for Iran! #FreeInternet4Iran #DigitalBlackOutIran‌

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A “For Rent” banner on the building of Iran’s National AI Organization is not just an administrative hiccup. It is a symbolic image that speaks volumes about where we stand in one of the most strategic domains shaping the future of the global economy: artificial intelligence. While other nations in our region are competing to lead the AI revolution, we are struggling to even keep the lights on in an institution that should be a national priority. 🔹 United Arab Emirates (UAE): • Appointed the world’s first Minister of AI in 2017. • Established the Mohamed bin Zayed University of AI (MBZUAI) in 2020, the first graduate-level AI university. • AI is projected to contribute 13–14% of UAE’s GDP (~$100B+) by 2030, making it one of the highest global shares. 🔹 Saudi Arabia: • Launched the National Strategy for Data & AI (NSDAI) in 2020 with the goal of positioning the Kingdom among the top 15 AI nations by 2030. • Targeting $20+ billion in AI/data investment and nurturing 20,000 AI specialists. • PwC projects AI could add $135B (≈12.4% of GDP) to the Saudi economy by 2030. 🔹 Turkey: • Unveiled its National AI Strategy (2021–2025) aiming to increase AI’s GDP share to 5%. • Plans to train 50,000 AI professionals and foster cross-sector adoption, from defense to manufacturing. ⸻ And Iran? Instead of a clear roadmap, empowered institutions, and sustainable funding, our National AI Organization has become a tenant, its own offices available “for rent.” This is not simply about money or management—it reflects a deeper misalignment between rhetoric and reality in science and technology policy. The consequences of this neglect are serious: • Brain Drain: Talented scientists and engineers leave for countries that value and support them. • Lost Competitiveness: Industries fail to integrate AI into production, logistics, and services. • Security Risks: Dependence on foreign AI ecosystems undermines economic and national security. If we fail to act now, we are not just missing out on economic opportunities—we are undermining our future sovereignty in healthcare, energy, agriculture, defense, and beyond.

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[2/2] WHY ARE SOME IRANIAN GOVERNMENT WEBSITES STILL REACHABLE? Following my previous post on the TLC techniques used by the regime to dismantle the internet in Iran, I decided to analyze why some government websites remain (conveniently) reachable from abroad. Taking domains such as president.ir and irangov.ir as examples, it’s clear the traffic isn't served from Iran. The IP addresses belong to ArvanCloud, an Iranian CDN using BGP Anycast to announce IPs from global PoPs outside the country. The latencies from Europe and the USA are physically incompatible with a termination in Iran (and you know, physical latencies don't lie). Regarding IPv6, as mentioned in my previous post, AAAA records are absent and IPv6 connections to these sites fail immediately. When accessing these websites, a “Transferring to the website…” message initially appears. This is a JavaScript challenge: the browser must execute obfuscated scripts to set specific cookies (__arcsjs and __arcsjsc) before the CDN grants access. This is a standard anti-bot and anti-DDoS protection mechanism, also used by the CDN itself on its own website (arvancloud.ir). Interestingly, while the main HTML is served by the CDN, secondary resources (CSS, APIs) often fail. Some origin backend is still in Iran and not always cached, so dynamic requests are being degraded (guess why). From a cryptographic standpoint, they use TLS 1.3, Let's Encrypt and Certum (a Polish Certification Authority). Relying on high trust European CAs for government portals is a move to satisfy international trust filters. Fun fact: the presence of Google Analytics on these websites is the ultimate paradox. Even under heavy restrictions, elements of the global web "ecosystem" keep being used for monitoring and visibility. Finally, look at Iranian banks or ISPs (like irancell.ir). Since they are hosted locally, they are completely unreachable. Their ASNs are now effectively “ghosts” to the outside world. Analysis complete. #Iran #DigitalBlackoutIran

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The longest internet blackout in history is unfolding right now. It is not a failure. It is a policy. NetBlocks confirms it: Iran has crossed 80 days offline. Connectivity is at roughly 1% of pre-crisis levels. 99% of the population is offline. A privileged few stay connected: government officials, security forces, and approved professionals. Via "white SIM cards" and whitelisted routes. A two-tier society, built by routing policy. Moscow followed the same playbook earlier this year: Nearly three-week mobile blackout in central Moscow and St Petersburg. The shutdown was used to quell riots and to test a whitelist system for approved sites and government-controlled apps. Five days of Moscow shutdowns cost businesses over $63 million. In Russia, over 2,000 shutdowns were recorded in a single month last year, more than the rest of the world combined. Nepal blocked 26 platforms last September. Gen Z took to the streets. 76 people died. The Prime Minister fell. India. Pakistan. Myanmar. Ethiopia. The pattern repeats. When connectivity is centralized, it can be switched off. When peering is concentrated, the kill switch has an address. This is why neutral interconnection matters beyond economics. IXPs distributed across borders, jurisdictions, and operators: They are not only critical infrastructure. They are democratic infrastructure.

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A Milestone in My Academic and Professional Journey! I’m thrilled to announce my graduation from Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch, with an outstanding GPA of 19.29/20 in Business Management (Strategic Management). Earning a perfect 19/19 on my Master’s thesis defence is a proud moment, reflecting years of dedication, rigorous research, and a passion for driving innovation in strategic management. My thesis, titled “Investigating the Impact of Strategic Factors Influencing the Adoption of Innovative Artificial Intelligence Technologies in the Construction Industry (Case Study: Tehran Construction Engineering Organization (TCEO))”, explored how strategic factors influence the adoption of innovative artificial intelligence technologies in the construction industry. I’m excited to be preparing a paper for submission to a prestigious international journal, contributing to global research in this transformative field. A heartfelt thank you to my thesis advisor, Dr. Mansoureh Aligholi, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Management, for her invaluable guidance, and to the faculty at Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch, for their support. Special thanks to Omid Reza Riahi, Member and Secretary of the Board of Directors at the Tehran Construction Engineering Organization (TCEO), and yaser shojaei for their collaboration. I’d love to connect with professionals in strategic management, AI, and the construction industry. How do you see AI shaping the future of construction? Let’s discuss! #MastersDegree #Graduation #ThesisDefense #BusinessManagement #ArtificialIntelligence #ConstructionIndustry #AcademicAchievement #ResearchPublication

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In the second part of the interview with the Iranian Progress, Dr. Amirhossein Roshanzamir, adjunct professor and digital transformation researcher at the Computer Science Faculty of Amirkabir University of Technology and co-founder of Ashyaban Startup, spoke about the role of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence in preventing heavy industrial losses and forming a new generation of industrial startups. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dA5he2Vq

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🌍 Are we informed… or just influenced? Climate misinformation is spreading rapidly in Pakistan, especially on social media, where emotional, sensational, and often misleading narratives blur the line between fact and fiction. This article in Urdu breaks down what climate misinformation really is, how it spreads, and why it matters. From common myths and conspiracy-driven claims to subtle “delay narratives,” it explains how misinformation doesn’t just confuse people, it shapes decisions, policies, and real-world outcomes. 📉 In a country already highly vulnerable to climate change, false narratives can weaken public trust in science and slow down urgent action when it is needed most. 👉 Read to understand the difference between facts and noise. 👉 Because informed awareness is the first step toward meaningful climate action. https://lnkd.in/d8dyR564 #ClimateChange #ClimateMisinformation #PakistanClimate #ClimateAction #FactCheck #Sustainability #ClimateAwareness #StopMisinformation #EnvironmentalJustice #ClimateEducation #ScienceMatters #ActOnClimate

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"Suhrawardi Revived Iran's Role in Philosophy" August 8, 2025 – Qom News – Provincial Report The academic secretary of the Shahid Sadr Global Award Commemoration stated: "Suhrawardi fundamentally revived Iran’s role in philosophy. He believed that philosophy is not exclusive to Greece, nor is wisdom solely a product of Islamic tradition. Iranians too have contributed to the development of philosophy and wisdom." In an interview with Tasnim News Agency in Qom on the occasion of the Suhrawardi Commemoration Day, Hojjat al-Islam Yahya Jahangiri-Suhrawardi, a prominent Iranian scholar and the academic secretary of the Shahid Sadr Global Award, said: "Suhrawardi has increasingly drawn attention from thinkers and philosophers beyond the borders of Iran, especially in the past century. And by 'beyond borders', we mean beyond even Western intellectual circles." He continued: "Suhrawardi’s influence extends beyond the West. A significant part of the academic attention toward him has emerged in the East, particularly in the Indian Subcontinent. Another part has come from the Arab world, where some have even tried to introduce him as an Arab philosopher—when in fact, Suhrawardi is one of the most authentically Iranian philosophers. He wrote in Persian and made deliberate efforts to elevate Persian as a language of science and philosophy." Jahangiri emphasized: "Suhrawardi essentially revived the role of Iran in the philosophical tradition. He was of the view that philosophy is not merely a Greek or Islamic inheritance—Iranians have also had an active and formative role. While Arab scholars have also shown interest in Illuminationist philosophy, our focus here is on how Suhrawardi’s thought has been received in the West. The attention from the Arab world and the East deserves separate discussion." He went on to say that two distinct groups introduced Suhrawardi to the West: "One group consists of Iranian or Arab philosophers who lived in the West—figures such as Dariush Shayegan and Seyyed Hossein Nasr. These thinkers made significant contributions to Suhrawardi studies and deserve careful academic attention. The other group consists of Western scholars who studied Suhrawardi directly." Jahangiri posed two critical questions: "How did the interest in Suhrawardi arise in the West? And what is it about his philosophy that captured the attention of Western scholars?"

The Need for Data-Driven Planning – A Clear Message My recent statement was featured in DW Urdu اردو, where I highlighted the importance of data and information in Pakistan’s current agricultural and trade decision-making. Between June 2024 and January 2025, Pakistan exported 750,000 tons of sugar. The government has now approved the import of 500,000 tons. This shift clearly indicates: - Pakistan urgently needs transparent, data-backed, and long-term planning in its agricultural and trade sectors. - Export decisions are often based on temporary surpluses and the desire to earn foreign exchange - but they must be aligned with accurate assessments of local demand. Similarly, imports should aim to stabilize prices and protect consumers. - This is not a moment for blame - it’s a moment for action. - We need a comprehensive and inclusive sugar policy, co-created by farmers, industry stakeholders, and government institutions. - With timely stock assessments, strong federal-provincial coordination, and transparent governance, we can prevent such reactive policy shifts — ensuring protection for both consumers and producers. Let’s move beyond short-term fixes toward a sustainable and resilient strategy for Pakistan’s food security. #Agriculture #PublicPolicy #FoodSecurity #DataDriven #SugarPolicy #FarmersVoice #Pakistan #DWUrdu #SustainableDevelopment #FoodSecurityPolicy https://lnkd.in/dugn_3ir

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I’m pleased to share that my Mobile Networks training course (covering technologies from 1G to 6G) is now available for free on my YouTube channel: @ali.nikfal The course was delivered online for Iranian students in Persian language, and sessions will be uploaded weekly. The total duration is approximately 30 hours (2024). It covers key topics such as: • Wireless communication fundamentals and mobile network challenges • Network topology and RF planning • Signalling and protocol stacks • Circuit-switched and packet-switched call flows • RAN and Core Network procedures and protocols This course is intended to support Persian-speaking engineers, students, and telecom professionals interested in mobile network technologies and their evolution toward 5G and 6G. I hope this content helps others learn and grow in the telecom field. دوره آموزشی شبکه‌های موبایل از نسل اول تا نسل ششم به صورت رایگان در کانال یوتیوب من منتشر شده است: @ali.nikfal این دوره به زبان فارسی و برای دانشجویان ایرانی ارایه و ضبط شده و جلسات آن به صورت هفتگی آپلود می‌شود. مدت زمان کل دوره حدود ۳۰ ساعت (1403) است. سرفصل‌ها شامل: • مفاهیم ارتباطات بی‌سیم و چالش‌های شبکه موبایل • توپولوژی شبکه و طراحی فرکانسی • سیگنالینگ و پروتکل‌ها • Call Flow در شبکه‌های Circuit و Packet • رویه‌ها و پروتکل‌های RAN و Core Network این دوره برای مهندسین، دانشجویان و علاقه‌مندان حوزه مخابرات تهیه شده است. #Telecommunications #MobileNetworks #5G #4G #3GPP #RAN #CoreNetwork #Wireless #NetworkEngineering #KnowledgeSharing #Telecom

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