Iran's Internet restored for some after 88 days of blackout
by Lisa Hornung · UPIMay 26 (UPI) -- Iran restored global Internet access to some of its people Tuesday ending a blackout that has lasted 88 days and caused thousands to lose their jobs.
NetBlocks, which tracks Internet freedom, posted on X: "Confirmed: Live metrics show a partial restoration to Internet connectivity in #Iran on day 88, after 2,093 hours of near-total isolation from international networks, the longest nationwide Internet shutdown in modern history. It is unclear if the restoration will be sustained."
Iranian officials mentioned the return of Gmail inside Iran as the first sign that the change had begun. The block is one of the longest-running national Internet shutdowns ever recorded.
The restoration was first noticed at about 3:30 p.m. local time in Tehran. Iranian digital rights activists and Internet monitors reported a small bump in traffic to Iran, with multiple Internet service providers allowing users to connect. These appeared to include residential fiber networks in Tehran and some mobile providers.
"From past digital blackouts in Iran, we've seen that the restoration process can take some hours and isn't as streamlined as the shutdown procedure," NetBlocks Research Director Isik Mater told BBC Verify. She said it had sometimes taken weeks to reach some areas in the country. "Historically, each time Internet access has been restored after an Internet shutdown in Iran, it has come back with heavier restrictions and tighter controls."
Internet analysis company Kentik said that Iran's access was still less than 10% of pre-shutdown levels. Doug Madory, an expert at Kentik, said the traffic appeared "selective," The Guardian reported.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had campaigned promising free Internet. He has been lobbying security officials to lift the restrictions. There was a formal announcement on lifting the ban after a vote by a task force for cyberspace management.
Iran's Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi lauded the announcement but said it would be gradual.
"Internet restrictions in recent months have caused significant damage to the digital economy, online businesses and the country's service industries," Hashemi said. "The continuation of this situation could, in addition to the economic damage, have led to the weakening of investment, the emigration of elite human resources, and the expansion of communication patterns outside the framework of the country's official governance."
Security officials feared that free communication with the west might encourage more demonstrations like the ones Iran experienced in January.
But many Iranians have said shutting down the Internet was designed to hide a crackdown on protests that includes executions, The Guardian reported.
Last week, Amnesty International said that since the U.S. war with Iran, Iranian authorities "have arbitrarily executed at least 36 individuals sentenced to death after being convicted of politically motivated charges. At least 78 protesters, dissidents and others with real or perceived links to banned opposition groups are under sentence of death and at risk of execution."
Social media platforms such as Instagram, X and YouTube are formally blocked in Iran but are usually accessed via virtual private networks. Iranian politicians often use X.
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