Iran’s president orders restoration of internet access after 87-day blackout: Iranian state media
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President Masoud Pezeshkian issued an order to the Ministry of Communications for restoring internet access in Iran. Photograph: (AFP)
Even in normal times, access to global internet remains heavily restricted in Iran via censorship of many websites, while authorities rely on intranet to provide connected services without relying on the worldwide web, notably for schools which are currently following an online curriculum.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian issued an order to the Ministry of Communications for restoring internet access in the country after an 87-day blackout that started with the US and Israeli strikes, reported Iranian state media, citing an official. The report cited the head of public relations at Iran’s Communications Ministry. Reports, citing informed sources, said the decision was made at a meeting of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace chaired by Vice President Mohammadreza Aref.
However, it was not known when and how Iran would reconnect to the global web following the decision.
Most Iranians have been unable to access the worldwide web for 87 days, according to the internet observatory NetBlocks on Monday, with only a few citizens having access to expensive and advanced VPNs that circumvent the restrictions.
The Iranian authorities initially imposed an internet blackout from Jan 8 in response to nationwide anti-government protests. The internet connections turned normal in February, before a new blackout was initiated after the start of US and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb 28.
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Even in normal times, access to the global internet remains heavily restricted in Iran via censorship of many websites, while authorities rely on an intranet to provide connected services without relying on the worldwide web, notably for schools which are currently following an online curriculum.
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The move made it difficult for Iranian civilians to receive updates while Israel and the US were bombing the country and caused significant damage to businesses that rely heavily on internet connectivity.
The IRGC-affiliated Fars News earlier questioned the government’s authority to issue such an order. It argued that the decision to restrict internet access was made by the Supreme National Security Council and must therefore be reversed by the same body.
