Iran is set to establish a dedicated cyber security force, according to comments made by a high-level official in mid-June 2011.
The planned cyber command centre will form part of a wider programme, boosting Iran's capability to defend itself against the threat of cyber attacks.
Speaking to Iranian media organisations, Brigadier General Massoud Jazzayeri - Deputy Chief of Staff for Cultural Affairs and Defense Publicity for the Iranian Armed Forces - explained how the cyber command topic has already been looked into and, at some point soon, the IAF will explore its potential further.
Once established, the Iranian Cyber Command would be the latest in a whole host of similar units set up in recent years by other nations.
The US took the lead when, in 2009, it announced the launch of USCYBERCOM. This reached IOC (Initial Operational Capability) in May 2010. Meanwhile, South Korea, China and the UK have all, since, started working within cyber defence.
In the case of Iran, it's considered that such a programme is needed to take on so-called ‘soft warfare' - i.e. attacks with a perceived emotional edge, launched away from the traditional battlefield setting.
To this end, according to Jazzayeri, Iranian troops need to have a dedicated cyber command up and running, equipped with ultra hi-tech cyber defence tools.
At the end of 2010, Mohammad Baqeri - senior commander of the Iranian Army - stressed that soft war was a real prospect for the Islamic Republic and explained how the country's enemies had shaken up national self-belief.
These enemies were attempting to "...affect the thoughts of the other side to gain victory and attains its goals by invading the values and patterns of behavior and changing them", Baqeri reportedly told news organisation Fars.
Since then, officials have issued out alerts to people living in Iran to be on their guard and watch out for plans to attack Islamic beliefs and values.
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