Only 2.4% of Iranian internet users describe themselves as “very satisfied” with service quality while most rely on free virtual private networks (VPNs) to reach blocked services, a senior official said citing an official poll.
Meysam Gholami, acting head of the state-run Research Institute of Cyberspace told a national cyber conference that an opinion poll found 2.4% of respondents were “very satisfied” and 17% “somewhat satisfied” with internet in Iran.
By contrast, 41% said they were “not very satisfied” and 38% “not satisfied at all,” with 2% declining to answer, according to remarks carried by Iranian media.
Gholami said about 61% of users reported using free VPNs and circumvention tools. He added that 10% keep VPNs “almost always” on, 53% switch them on for specific tasks, and 14% said they do not use VPNs.
He warned that widespread use of no-cost tools can degrade performance and raise privacy risks.
The official also cited access and usage gaps. Roughly 23% of Iranians aged over 15 -- about 15 million people-- do not use the internet at all, he said.
Average daily screen time in Iran stands at about 7 hours 10 minutes across phones, games and media, compared with a global average of roughly 6 hours, Gholami added, describing the figure as a cultural and public-health concern.
Gholami urged a “data-driven, non-political” approach to digital policy, saying survey results suggest domestic services do not fully meet user needs where VPNs are most frequently switched on.
He also flagged emerging security issues from connected devices in homes, saying some smart appliances can transmit detailed data to manufacturers, and called for stronger privacy safeguards.
Iran’s government has long maintained controls on major foreign platforms and says restrictions are necessary for national security.
Witnesses said police, Basij militia and Revolutionary Guards manned checkpoints and turned people back from access routes in Fars province.
Iran has long declined to recognize Cyrus Day in its official calendar, and has in past years restricted access to Pasargadae and, at times, Persepolis to discourage large gatherings around the Achaemenid-era sites.
Security curbs around the October 28-31 anniversary -- linked by some accounts to Cyrus’s entry into Babylon in 539 BCE -- have become routine since large crowds rallied at the tomb in 2016.
The latest closures came amid renewed public debate inside Iran over how to commemorate pre-Islamic heritage.
Ghader Ashna, secretary of the Public Culture Council at the culture ministry, told the ISNA news agency that over the past year no formal request had reached his body to add “Cyrus Day” to the national calendar, but said any proposal would be reviewed by a dedicated working group and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.
Separately, ISNA quoted cultural scholar Bahman Namvar-Motlagh as saying that honoring Cyrus did not contradict Iran’s Islamic identity and could help bolster social cohesion if handled without “excess or confrontation.”
He framed interest in Cyrus among younger Iranians as part of a broader search for common symbols of national unity in a tense regional environment.
Rights activist and Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi marked the day with a message on Instagram describing Cyrus as a “cultural symbol” associated with tolerance and justice, and contrasted that legacy with Iran’s record on political freedoms and capital punishment.
Exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, told supporters at a Toronto event earlier this month that a future post-Islamic Republic order should elevate the 2020 Abraham Accords into what he called “Cyrus Accords,” recasting Iran as a promoter of regional peace rather than conflict.
Cyrus the Great, who founded the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BCE, is widely cited in Iran’s schools and popular culture as a touchstone of nationhood. The Pasargadae site and Persepolis -- both UNESCO-listed -- draw steady domestic and foreign tourism, though access has at times been restricted on sensitive dates.
In 2024, heritage outlets connected to the state reported fencing and concrete barriers on the road to Pasargadae ahead of the October commemorations.
Iranian scientists and officials have separately warned that land subsidence from groundwater over-extraction is emerging as a long-term threat to several heritage sites, including areas around Persepolis and the Tomb of Cyrus.
Geologists cited this month reported cracks and surface fissures in Fars and other provinces, saying cumulative deformation could damage historic fabric over years if water withdrawals are not curbed.
Cyrus Day is not an official holiday, but diaspora communities and some Iranians at home mark it annually with cultural events and online campaigns.
The Islamic Republic’s leadership has historically promoted an Islamic “ummah” identity and has sometimes viewed mass gatherings at pre-Islamic monuments as politically sensitive, especially amid periodic anti-government protests.
Iranian state bodies did not immediately issue a statement on Wednesday’s access limits in Fars.
“All kinds of ceremonies, gatherings, advertising or sale of items related to what is known as ‘Halloween’ are completely prohibited in all public and business places,” Iran’s Chamber of Guilds said in a statement, citing the need to protect “cultural, religious and social values.”
It said police would take legal action against violators, including closing venues and referring managers to judicial authorities.
The move comes amid long-standing unease among Iranian authorities over the growing popularity of Western holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Halloween among younger Iranians.
Officials and clerics have often described such events as cultural imports that conflict with Islamic values.
Young Iranians join global festivities
Despite the restrictions, public enthusiasm for Western-style festivities has continued to grow. In recent years, decorated shopfronts and cafes in Tehran, Isfahan and other cities have displayed Christmas trees and ornaments, while young people have gathered to mark holidays that once passed largely unnoticed.
The trend has fallen afoul with authorities. Two years ago, hundreds of Iranians gathered outside Isfahan’s historic Vank Cathedral, an ancient Armenian church, trying to attend a Christmas celebration before police dispersed the crowd.
Last December, social media videos showed people in Tehran’s shopping districts posing beside Christmas trees and taking photos with men dressed as Santa Claus, suggesting that such celebrations continue to grow despite official restrictions.
Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism are officially recognized religions in Iran, but conversion from Islam remains punishable by death, and public displays of non-Islamic observances are tightly restricted.
