Iran Begins Restoring Internet Access After Months-Long Blackout

Iran’s decision to partially restore internet access after nearly three months of nationwide restrictions has been met with frustration rather than relief, as many users say connectivity remains unreliable and heavily restricted.

Iranian authorities on Tuesday began easing the shutdown imposed on February 28, the first day of the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel. The move followed a similar nationwide internet disruption imposed earlier this year during mass protests.

Residents across Iran told AFP that home broadband services had resumed in some areas, allowing users to reconnect through Wi-Fi networks. However, mobile internet services remain largely unavailable, while many websites and messaging platforms continue to face restrictions.

Many Iranians described the restored service as far from normal.

“I feel that it was just a switch from worse to bad,” said Bahareh, a 32-year-old nutritionist from Tehran. She noted that even before the latest shutdown, internet access in Iran was already heavily restricted.

Social media platforms and international news websites have long faced filtering by Iranian authorities, forcing many users to rely on virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass restrictions. Users say the process is often expensive, slow, and unreliable.

VPN provider Proton VPN reported a 6,000 percent increase in signups from Iran, saying demand surged immediately after restrictions were partially eased as users sought secure and uncensored access to the internet.

Some residents said access remained inconsistent even with VPN services.

Shiva, a 65-year-old housewife in Tehran, said her Android phone still could not access the Google Play Store despite using a VPN, while her son’s iPhone could only partially access some services.

Others said communication with relatives abroad remained difficult.

“I bought a VPN again to connect to WhatsApp so I can keep in touch with my daughter,” said Mahtab, a 62-year-old hairdresser from Tehran, adding that internet access was still not functioning properly for her.

Rights groups monitoring online freedom said the restoration remains limited.

UK-based freedom of expression organisation Article 19 said there were conflicting reports on the scale of restored access, with some estimates suggesting connectivity remained as low as 39 percent nationwide.

The organisation added that many Iranians, particularly those operating online businesses, continue to report slow internet speeds and difficulties accessing social media platforms.

NetBlocks, a global internet monitoring organisation, described the 88-day disruption as the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history. The group said internet services remain heavily filtered, with additional restrictions now affecting messaging services and app stores.

Doug Madory, head of internet analysis at US network monitoring firm Kentik, said traffic levels had only recovered to around 41 percent of pre-shutdown levels after the first 24 hours of restoration.

Several prominent Iranian figures also criticised the restrictions.

Iranian rapper Toomaj, who was previously sentenced to death over his support for anti-government protests before later being released, said unrestricted internet access is a basic right rather than a privilege.

“Like free elections, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, these are our rights and not favours,” he wrote on social media platform X.

Journalist Elaheh Mohammadi, who was arrested following her reporting on the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, also criticised the continued restrictions, saying Iranians were merely returning to the heavily filtered internet environment that existed before the blackout.

“This humiliating life wasn’t what we deserved,” she wrote.