Iran partially restores internet after longest nationwide shutdown ever

Digital life in Iran began flickering back online after 88 days, but the return was partial, fragile and shaped by the same state controls that had cut it off. NetBlocks said live metrics showed connectivity rising on day 88, after 2,093 hours of near-total isolation from international networks, the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history. Bloomberg reported the country had moved from close to zero access to about 35% of typical levels.

The blackout had begun in late December 2025 amid war with Israel and the United States and an unprecedented wave of cyberattacks. Iranian officials said the restrictions were meant to protect critical infrastructure and block cyber espionage during wartime, but the shutdown left people dependent on a domestic intranet for shopping, ride-hailing and education while much of the rest of the world disappeared behind filters and throttles.

President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered international access restored after the Special Task Force on Cyberspace Management voted 9-3 to reconnect Iran to the global internet. Sattar Hashemi, the communications minister, said fixed-line restoration had begun nationwide. Even so, major social media platforms remained constrained, NetBlocks said WhatsApp was still restricted, and some users were still offline. Iran International reported that Filternet remained in place but could be worked around with circumvention tools.

The restoration also exposed the legal gray zone surrounding digital control in Iran. State media reported that an Iranian court temporarily suspended implementation of the order, while other reports said the Supreme National Security Council may hold the ultimate authority over such restrictions. Fars News Agency first questioned whether the administration had the power to issue the directive, then later portrayed the reopening as a necessary technical and security decision.

For families, businesses and students, the signal that returned was not freedom so much as conditional access. The state had shown it could mute Iran’s connection to the outside world for nearly three months, then reopen it in pieces. NetBlocks said it remained unclear whether the restoration would hold, leaving millions to navigate an internet that can be restored, restricted or withdrawn at will.