Iran began lifting its internet blockade after 88 days, the longest internet blackout in modern history.
Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, announced in a Tuesday X post that the country would begin reopening the internet in line with a request from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, confirmed the same day that a “partial restoration” was taking place after “2093 hours of near-total isolation from international networks,” making it the longest internet shutdown in history.
“In line with the esteemed President’s mission and in fulfillment of the government’s promise, the first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken,” Aref said Tuesday. “With the reopening of the internet, smart services will be streamlined, the demands of the people who have thus stood by the system and Iran will be fulfilled, and the obstacles to knowledge-based development and scientific authority will be removed.”
Notably, Aref made the post in response to a post from Pezeshkian made two weeks ago.
“Information technology and internet-based communications have become an inseparable part of people’s lives,” Pezeshkian said on May 12. “I have tasked my dear brother, Dr. Aref, with—taking into account the sensitivities of governance, the Leader’s opinion, and the promise I made to the people—providing, within the framework of an agile structure, the means for the government to deliver better services and fulfill public expectations.”
Tehran had shut down the internet after the beginning of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, in an effort to control the information space around the war. The internet had previously been cut off in January to suppress the massive protests that broke out across Iran. The internet blackout, which included the use of advanced jamming equipment to cut off Starlink internet connection, helped suppress news of the protests and ensuing crackdown.
While the internet shutdown was vital for keeping dissent in check and supporting Tehran’s suppression apparatus, it also crippled Iranian trade and commerce, adding further pressure to an already devastated economy.
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The decision to lift the internet blockade partially reflects Tehran’s growing confidence in its survival and suggests that a deal to end the war with the United States and Israel could be near.
However, the internet is unlikely to be fully reopened in Iran any time soon. Internet connectivity was never fully restored after the first shutdown in January, only reaching about 50% of pre-shutdown levels. Tehran could choose to keep connectivity at a minimum for an indefinite period of time.