Internet Connectivity Slowly Returns to Iran After Three-Month Blackout

After over 2,000 hours of a government-imposed internet blackout, signs emerged on Tuesday that connectivity is slowly returning to Iran, albeit at very low levels. Millions of Iran's over 90 million citizens have been largely deprived of global internet access for the majority of 2026, following the current blackout initiated on February 28th amidst conflicts with Israel and the United States, and a prior shutdown in January due to widespread protests. This partial reconnection appears to be a government directive, though its permanence remains uncertain. While some Iranian networks showed signs of connecting to the global internet, researchers from Kentik, NetBlocks, and Cloudflare cautioned that the restored access is significantly below even the partial restoration allowed by Tehran in late January and February. Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik, noted that mobile networks show little change, with the "biggest gain" observed in fixed-line providers, particularly the Telecommunication Company of Iran’s fiber-optic service around Tehran. Amir Rashidi, a cybersecurity expert with Miaan Group, stated, "We do see some traffic coming from Iran... but it is still too early to say exactly what will happen." The Iranian regime had entirely cut internet connectivity at the start of January following widespread protests over economic conditions, which saw thousands killed. The government then imposed a complete shutdown again at the end of February when the United States and Israel engaged in conflict in Iran. These blackouts have left millions unable to contact families, severely damaged the local economy, and prevented news and footage of the war from entering or leaving the country. The limited restoration on Tuesday coincides with ongoing negotiations between the US government and Iran aimed at a permanent end to the conflict. The current internet shutdown was reportedly ordered by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council in late February. However, a different group, the Special Headquarters for Organizing and Governing the Country's Cyberspace, formed by current Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, reportedly ordered the recent connectivity restoration on Monday. This move, however, faced a legal challenge in Iran’s High Court, highlighting an internal power struggle. Over the past decade, the Iranian regime has pursued an ambitious project to control internet connectivity and censor content, concurrently developing a national intranet designed to replace the global internet. This includes state-controlled search engines, messaging apps, and ride-hailing platforms, often characterized by heavy surveillance. Experts suggest that the regime's digital control mechanisms are frequently deployed as blunt instruments, possibly due to technical limitations or political instability. The outcome of this internal "power struggle," as Rashidi describes it, will be crucial for the future of internet access. Experts have long predicted that continued authoritarian rule will further erode digital freedoms, with some warning that Iran may never fully reconnect globally. Madory suggests it would be "quite optimistic" to expect a return to pre-January 8th access levels, which were already subject to censorship. The fate of internet access for tens of millions of Iranians remains intertwined with precarious international negotiations.