Iranian authorities plan to permanently seal the country off from the internet, and limit all but a select few citizens to a much narrower national network, both at home and abroad, according to a report from Filterwatch, an organization that tracks internet censorship in Iran.

The internet blackout imposed amid the recent anti-regime protests is part of a broader plan to turn Iran “into a communication black hole under the looming dominance of the Khatam al-Anbia base,” the joint command base of Iran’s armed forces, said Filterwatch in the report it published Thursday.

Thousands have been killed under cover of the blackout, according to rights groups.

Information from government sources, including spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, confirmed that the internet blackout imposed on January 8, as Iran brutally cracked down on the protests, will last until at least the Iranian new year on March 20, Filterwatch said.

But authorities are also implementing a “confidential state project… to transform the country’s internet infrastructure into a ‘Barracks Internet.'” according to the group.

Recent steps taken to implement the “Barracks Internet” project include the collection of satellite dishes, blocking of

© The Times of Israel