[88724] Iran's Internet restrictions threaten its international scientific standing

The struggle for academia: Is Iran's Internet policy crushing its scientific ranking?

New reports raise deep concern among the scientific establishment in Iran regarding the impact of Internet restrictions on the country's achievements. According to Iran News, a channel that reports regularly on events in Tehran, the Ministry of Health representative for research and technology spoke out openly against the network disconnections that are burdening the academic community.

According to the official, as reported in Iran News, "If the Internet of our lecturers and researchers were not disconnected," Iran could have improved its position in the global scientific ranking and reached 16th place, surpassing Saudi Arabia. Currently, Iran is ranked 18th in the world.

Estimates within the Iranian system are very pessimistic for 2026. According to the report, "The restrictions of the Internet shutdown could lead to a decrease of about 10,000 articles" during that year. The significance of this reduction is a direct blow to the country's academic representation, with a tangible fear of a regression to 20th place in the global ranking.

Israel News IL joined in reporting the data, which highlights the dissonance between Iran's technological aspirations and the regime's restrictive policy, which ultimately harms the ability of its researchers to integrate into the international scientific community.