TEHRAN (Iran News) Speaking at the National Conference on Investment Opportunities in the ICT Sector, Aref said the Seventh Plan is built around three key pillars: investment, production, and ICT. He emphasized that the plan’s economic target—most notably achieving 8 percent annual growth—cannot be reached without substantial and well-directed investment.

Aref noted that while Iran has long focused on self-sufficiency in production, its economic strategy is now increasingly aimed at expanding into regional markets that share cultural and commercial ties with the country. Production, he added, is no longer confined to hardware, as scientific progress over the past two decades has broadened the focus to include software and emerging technologies.

He identified ICT as “the beating heart of the innovation economy,” pointing to this year’s national slogan, “Investment for Production,” and stressing the growing importance of ICT across governance, education, commerce, industry, national security, and daily life. “There is no major sector today in which ICT does not play a decisive role,” he said.

Aref also referenced Iran’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index—70th overall and 46th in innovation outputs among 139 countries—but argued that inaccuracies in domestic data reporting weaken these measurements. He stated that Iran’s digital infrastructure still falls short of both national and regional needs.

The First Vice President warned that Iran is lagging in the global race toward artificial intelligence. Countries that invested early in AI, he said, now dominate the field. To close the gap, the 14th administration has established a High Council for AI Development at the highest levels of government. Aref urged the creation of a transparent, predictable, and flexible investment environment, including specialized regulatory frameworks to facilitate both domestic and foreign investment in AI sectors.

He highlighted the crucial role of coordinated collaboration between universities and industry to speed the commercialization of technological breakthroughs. While acknowledging the current gap between Iran’s capabilities and its goals, Aref called this gap “an opportunity rather than a threat,” describing AI as the most powerful driver of transformation within ICT.

AI, he explained, is expanding digital services and enabling new industries such as intelligent cloud systems, advanced data analytics, and smart automation. These technologies are also lowering innovation costs for startups and technology companies.

According to Aref, the government has already begun implementing major initiatives to support advanced technologies and AI, with the new High Council expected to accelerate progress. He expressed confidence that with its skilled workforce and growing investment base, Iran can become a leading AI player regionally and potentially internationally.

Aref also underlined the need to reinforce the nation’s digital infrastructure—expanding high-speed networks, large-scale systems, and cloud services. He warned against adding new users to outdated or overloaded systems without increasing capacity. “Quality must be our top priority,” he said, calling for serious investment and greater support for startups and technology firms.

He praised the capabilities of domestic companies that have already made significant contributions to the digital economy, emphasizing the need for ongoing and targeted support. The shift toward smart governance, he said, will strengthen transparency, speed service delivery, attract investment, and help resolve structural inefficiencies.

Aref called for ICT investment to be treated as a national and strategic priority, supported by regulatory reform and modernization of infrastructure. He pointed to applications such as smart electricity-grid management—using ICT and AI to reduce losses, predict consumption, and monitor production in real time—as critical tools for increasing energy efficiency.

Reaffirming ICT as one of Iran’s most secure and profitable investment fields, Aref said the government is prepared to assist projects of all sizes by removing regulatory barriers and fostering innovation. “The future will not be built on underground resources,” he said, “but on innovation, data, communication, and digital technology.”

He concluded by urging collective action as the country moves toward a major digital transformation: “Iran stands at the threshold of a digital leap. The future of our economy is digital—and it begins today.”

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TEHRAN (Iran News) Speaking during a joint session with Seyed Sattar Hashemi, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Madanizadeh outlined the government’s serious commitment to supporting the digital economy as the vanguard of Iran’s modern economic transition.

“The digital economy is not just another sector—it’s a strategic solution to many of Iran’s long-standing economic challenges,” Madanizadeh stated. “With its dynamic and flexible nature, it stands in stark contrast to the outdated traditional structures that continue to hamper productivity and growth.”

Highlighting the sector’s impressive productivity rates, Madanizadeh said it is his duty, as finance minister, to support and enable the growth of this industry, which he referred to as one of the fastest-growing in the nation.

He stressed that digital technologies can significantly increase economic efficiency and unlock new opportunities for growth, ultimately contributing more substantially to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Madanizadeh acknowledged the existing hurdles faced by private sector players in the digital economy but affirmed that the government is determined to resolve these issues through collaboration.

“There are no easy solutions, but with joint effort and dialogue between government and industry, effective pathways can be found,” he added.

He also outlined four key initiatives designed to support the development of the digital economy:

The recently approved “Law on Production Financing and Infrastructure” recognizes intangible assets—such as intellectual property and digital products—as legitimate for financial backing. Madanizadeh announced that the corresponding executive regulations were ratified last week and are now under the responsibility of the Securities and Exchange High Council to implement.

A newly established collateral platform will allow for a broader range of assets to be used as security, thereby unlocking new financing mechanisms and enhancing credit access for digital businesses.

The National Deregulation Committee, in cooperation with the private sector, will work to eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens, streamline business processes, and foster a more agile startup environment.

Competition council will address anti-competitive practices and ensure fair market access, particularly for digital firms attempting to disrupt traditional monopolies.

Madanizadeh announced the creation of a Digital Economy Task Force, with a mandate to address financing, infrastructure, and digital services. Subcommittees will be formed under this task force to work closely with private enterprises and resolve practical challenges on the ground.

He underlined that the digital economy must be deeply integrated into Iran’s broader economic system to help solve fundamental structural issues. “These meetings must continue, not just as symbolic gestures, but as real opportunities to advance both your efforts and the nation’s economy,” he said.

Calling for deeper cooperation with the private sector, the finance minister pledged to use the full capabilities of his ministry to empower digital businesses.

During the same meeting, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Seyed Sattar Hashemi praised digital economy players for their resilience during the recent 12-day conflict, during which service disruptions were feared but largely avoided.

“Despite extreme hardships and constraints that worsened during wartime, you never let the country down,” Hashemi said. “You continued serving the public with dedication, and for that, I am truly grateful.”

Hashemi remarked that Madanizadeh’s appointment as Finance Minister has given the government renewed confidence in pushing forward digital transformation goals. “With him in office, we in the cabinet feel much more supported and optimistic about achieving real progress.”

He also revealed that the Ministry of Communications has already designed a comprehensive national digital transformation program, which will soon be shared with private sector partners.

Addressing the industry representatives directly, Hashemi emphasized that government-led initiatives can only succeed with active private sector involvement. “Only through genuine partnership with you can we ensure meaningful and sustainable digital reforms in Iran.”

The meeting marked a significant moment of alignment between Iran’s economic and technological leadership, signaling a renewed focus on the digital economy as a cornerstone of national recovery and future resilience. With new legal frameworks, structural reforms, and task forces underway, Iran appears poised to accelerate its transition into the digital age—provided cooperation between the state and the private sector continues to deepen.

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In a meeting with ranking officials from the ICT Ministry on Sunday, the Iranian vice president said the global economy is rapidly moving towards digital computing technologies.

“If we ignore the digital economy, our economy will lag behind the cycle of the world economy, because the global economy is moving towards digitization with rapid acceleration,” Jahangiri added.

Pointing to the worst economic downturn in the world over the past 100 years in the wake of outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the vice president called for efforts to study various social, economic and cultural aspects of the rapidly-changing developments and to identify the relative advantages of the situation, the Iranian government’s official website reported.

He further stressed the need to develop the necessary social and legal infrastructures for the post-coronavirus era, noting that the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology will be the epicenter of all plans and arrangements for the new age.

Paying tribute to the ICT Ministry and the private sectors affiliated with the ministry for their “stellar performance” after the outbreak of COVID-19, Jahangiri said, “All of the country’s development plans and ongoing issues have been affected by the coronavirus today. In other terms, the coronavirus has turned into the main compass for policy-making and management of the country, because during the outbreak of the disease, serious attention must be paid to the health of people and a balance must be created in the other sectors as well, as in the economic sphere.”

Highlighting the key role of the start-ups in fulfilling the digital economy goals, the Iranian vice president emphasized the need for a good investment in the start-ups, knowledge-based companies, and the private sector, which he said must regulate the economy in practice.

He also touched on the leading role of the ICT Ministry in providing distance learning programs after the coronavirus outbreak, saying the influential ministry must also conduct a detailed analysis of the economy in the coming years to devise plans for technical and vocational schemes to attain the digital economy objectives.

Jahangiri further praised the ICT Ministry for formulating space programs, including the recent launch of a homegrown satellite in cooperation with the domestic universities.

“The development and completion of the National Information Network, which is a basic need of the country, could usher in the era of modern governance and administration in the country, by relying on which we could introduce a new administrative system to the country,” he added.

The vice president finally stressed the importance of implementing the electronic government scheme in Iran, saying the ICT Ministry has devised 23 projects with high priority to meet the requirements of an electronic government which is expected to fully come into force by March 2021.

“Development of the electronic government will provide all citizens with online access to broad services, will contribute to transparency and prevent corruption, and could also result in public satisfaction,” Jahangiri concluded.

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According To Iran News, Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology unveiled plans to increase the share of digital businesses in the country’s economy.

In comments on Saturday, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said digital economy will soon become the most important part of the global economy, which is why all countries have been involved in the process of digital revolution.

“Digital economy is not an option, but a must,” the minister said, adding that Iran should also keep pace with the rest of the world and employ the modern potential to boost its economy.

“As information technology-based companies in the world have managed to replace the oil giants and traditional industries, the new businesses will soon replace top money-making companies in Iran as well,” the minister stated.

The first step in the digital revolution is promotion of information technology, Azari Jahromi said, adding that his ministry has made “strategic investment” to make a “smart Iran based upon digital economy”.

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