Internet partially restored in Iran after months-long shutdown
PARIS: Iranian authorities partially restored inteยญrnet connectivity on Tuesday after an almost three-month shutdown impยญosed after the US-Israel invasion on Feb 28. The shutdown left Iranยญians largely cut off from international networks, with only a domestic intranet working for daily tasks like shopping, ride-hailing and education. โLive metrics show a partial restoration to internet connectivity in Iran on day 88,โ of the shutdown, monitor NetBlocks said on X, saying it was โunclearโ if this meant a permanent end to the โlongest nationwide internet shutdown in modern historyโ. Earlier during the day, Iranโs judiciary suspended a fledging presidential body that had ordered restoration of the internet. Judiciary suspends a presidential body that took the decision The Special Headqยญuarters for Organising and Governing the Counยญtryโs Cyberspace was formed on May 12 by Pezeshkian. The body had on Monday reached a decision to โrestore the internetโ, according to government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani, after local media reported that Pezeshkian had decreed the measure. Vice President Mohaยญmmad Reza Aref said in a post on X that the โfirst step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been takenโ, adding that the demands of Iranians โwill be fulfilledโ. State news agency IRNA and Fars news agency said โfull international internet connectivity has been restoredโ for users of fixed broadband services, but this had not been confirmed by internet monitor NetBlocks. Witnesses inside Iran said mobile internet remains cut, but home internet with Wi-Fi had been restored, even though VPNs were still needed to access some social media. โA few minutes ago I could open international websites using my home internet provider,โ said a 22-year-old woman from the western city of Kermanshah. A user in Tehran said the internet service for his company has been restored, but โmobile connection remained the sameโ without any access. Others reported that general access remained extremely patchy. Closure in January The shutdown imposed three months ago followed a similar blackout impยญosed on Jan 8 after the country was rocked by mass anti-government protests. Activists said that the January closure was aimed at masking the scale of a crackdown on the protests, as well as preventing more demonstrations. Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2026