Modern Technology Needed to Counter Cultural Onslaught: Rouhani

The Iranian president also noted that the country should be equipped with the cutting-edge technology to confront the cultural threats rather than resisting them passively

“We should be equipped with the modern tools to counter the cultural onslaught,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in an address to a ceremony marking the World Information Society Day which was held in the capital Tehran on Saturday.

The president also called for a more active presence of Persian speakers in social networks in a bid to develop the country’s knowledge-based industries, saying the onus is on the Iranian young people, private sectors and knowledge-based companies to introduce the true Islamic and the Iranian culture to the world.

President Rouhani further expressed dissatisfaction with the current status of Internet bandwidth in Iran, saying the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has been assigned with the task of boosting the bandwidth in the country.

There are some 45 million internet users in Iran. The Islamic Republic is seen as the leading country in the Middle East region in terms of Internet penetration. It has already been awarded the UNESCO special certificate for providing telecommunication services to rural areas.

The Iranian government has launched a massive project to set up a national information network in the country. Iranian authorities say the project will improve internet access and protect the country from cyber attacks.