Stuxnet fears convince Iranian government to pull plug on internet in favour of local intranet

The state of Iran has set in motion plans to create a country wide local intranet service that would replace the internet.

According to RT, Iranian telecommunications minister Reza Taghipour warned that information on the web is at risk of attack because the web is controlled by a monopoly of countries. The minister says that by replacing the internet with a local intranet, Iran can better protect its sensitive information from foreign powers.

Taghipour's comments come following repeated cyber attacks on Iranian infrastructure by the US government.

"The establishment of the national intelligence network will create a situation where the precious intelligence of the country won't be accessible to these powers," Minister Taghipour was quoted as saying.

Taghipour says the shut down of select government internet networks will begin next month. Iran's plan is to have its private web up and running within the next 18 months.

If the country is successful in its aim's to create a local intranet it would join North Korea as the only countries to use a local web service.

The Iranian government has a long history of internet sanctions.

The country banned the use of foreign email services earlier this year. Rumours also spread last April that Iran was planning to build a local intranet service to replace the traditional internet. At the time officials called the rumours " completely baseless".

Iran's plans for a private internet come following repeated cyber attacks on the country's infrastructure.

Earlier this year the US and Israel hit Iranian state computer systems with the sophisticated Flame malware. The New York Times also reported that the US was behind the Stuxnet worm which shut down Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities last year.