Internet Starts Coming Back In Iran After Months-Long Blackout

Source: Slashdot

Restoration of Internet Access in Iran

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: Internet access has started to be restored in Iran after being cut off almost three months ago, the country’s first vice‑president has said. “The first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken,” Mohammad Reza Aref wrote on X on Tuesday. Internet monitoring groups Netblocks and Kentik reported “partial” restoration around 13:00 GMT, though the latter warned most networks were still down.

Background

The Iranian government cut internet access following the launch of U.S. and Israeli attacks on 28 February. Officials suggested the aim was to prevent surveillance, espionage, and cyber‑attacks. This shutdown is one of the longest‑running national internet blackouts ever recorded worldwide.

Early Signs of Recovery

A content creator from Tehran told the BBC that he had been able to connect to the internet using his home Wi‑Fi on Tuesday. “The main point is, some of my income will come back,” he said.

Outlook and Ongoing Restrictions

Netblocks said it was unclear whether the internet return would be sustained and told the BBC that restoration could take hours, consistent with previous blackouts. “Access is not universally back to its original state, with some regional variation,” said the global internet tracker’s research director Isik Mater on Tuesday. She added that there were signs of more extensive filtering than prior to January—when a similar blackout was imposed during the regime’s deadly crackdown on anti‑government protests—including additional restrictions to messaging apps like WhatsApp.