Iran is being "permanently disconnected from the internet."

Decoupling from the global internet, only allowing access through government-approved networks.

This is not Iran's first large-scale internet shutdown. In recent years, Iran has repeatedly cut off the national network during social unrest, blocking alternative channels like VPNs and Starlink. But this time, officials are openly discussing a long-term, stable, and institutionalized network isolation plan.

Iran has a very high VPN penetration rate, with 80% of internet access via VPNs. However, the problem is that it has never successfully established a local ecosystem to replace the international internet.

Similarly, with the blockade of the international internet, China may have only about ten million VPN users because China has commercialized its sovereign internet.

1. First, provide you with a better tool
2. Make you rely on it
3. Then it naturally becomes the only gateway

So, Chinese citizens don't need to access the external internet at all, which is completely different from Iran.

In Iran, VPNs have become the default way to access the internet, indicating that the state has lost control over entry points, a consequence of systemic failure.

In China, VPNs are a marginal demand, a result of a mature system.