Internet blockade in Iran: State TV hacked and Shah's son's message broadcast
Iran has been without internet for a week and a half, with no end in sight. State TV was reportedly hacked on Sunday and regime criticism was spread.
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In Iran, which remains largely cut off from the outside world, unknown individuals allegedly took over the satellite transmission of several state television channels on Sunday, broadcasting footage of recent protests and a speech by the son of the deposed Shah. This is reported by Iran International, a London-based news channel critical of the regime. Footage of the broadcast is circulating on social networks, but its authenticity cannot yet be verified. Independent data also showed on Sunday that the Islamic Republic had temporarily rolled back the total internet shutdown. However, the country is likely cut off again by now.
Following what were possibly the most massive protests against the regime, the internet in Iran was completely blocked a week and a half ago. The little that has emerged from the country since then suggests that the demonstrations were suppressed with the utmost brutality. Before the alleged cyberattack on state television, there were increasing indications over the weekend that the internet blockade had been slightly eased. Data from Cloudflare suggests that there has been slightly more internet traffic from the Islamic Republic repeatedly since Saturday, but this only amounts to a few percent of the usual volume. The background to these episodes is unclear, however.
No renewed internet release planned?
A few days ago, an organization advocating for internet freedom in Iran and the Middle East also reported on plans from the regime not to release the internet at all. According to an article by Filterwatch, there are already confirmations from the government that the internet connection is not expected to be restored until at least March. But even after that, one should not hope for it. Instead, only specific social groups are to be granted limited access. The rest would then have to make do with internal services and could, for example, no longer have access to independent news. However, there have been no official statements on this so far.
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All this is currently happening against the backdrop of escalating tensions between Iran and, in particular, the USA. Just over the weekend, US President Donald Trump called for a change of government in Tehran. This also happened against the backdrop of reports about the bloody suppression of the protests. According to The Sunday Times, more than 16,000 people could have been killed and several hundred thousand injured. Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah overthrown in 1979, whose speech was briefly shown on state television, has meanwhile announced a return to Iran from his exile in the USA. However, the 65-year-old did not give a date.
(mho)
