Iran continues to be cut off from the internet: The darkness that remains

Contents

Since the end of 2025, people in Iran have been protesting against the regime. These were the largest nationwide protests since the Woman-Life-Freedom movement, which began in 2022. When internet and telephone connections were shut down on January 8, 2026, political observers and human rights activists expressed their concern that the regime would now suppress the protests with massive force.

Meanwhile, the worst fears have been surpassed. Even the head of state, Ali Khamenei, speaks of thousands of deaths, while blaming the USA and Israel as always. Although there are no independently verified casualty figures, even estimates of 12,000 killed demonstrators seem credible given the scale of the nationwide protests and reports of dozens of bodies from individual hospitals.

Videos and information about the protests are only reaching the outside world drop by drop. Often, the recording dates of images in videos cannot be precisely determined. Because landline numbers are sometimes reachable, Iranian journalists abroad can only call them partially and with the help of intermediaries in Iran. This way, they can speak indirectly with their sources. However, a proven connection to foreign media can have severe consequences for people in Iran.

From Internet Censorship to Complete Isolation

For over two weeks now, the Iranian regime has not only cut off 92 million people in the country from the outside world, but also deprived millions of people worldwide of any possibility to contact family and friends in Iran. Many are worried and desperate.

It is not new that the Iranian state tries to control the flow of information and prevent the dissemination of images and news during times of protest. However, what is new is the dimension of the current isolation policy. Never before has Iran been almost completely disconnected from the global internet for such a long period.

25 years ago, the Islamic Republic officially promoted the use of the internet, but issues such as access, control, and content on the net were controversial from the beginning. Over the years, state representatives have repeatedly spoken of establishing a national network, or as they called it, "Internet-e Halal," an Islamic network, or "Internet-e Melli" – literally translated as People's Internet.

Tactical Contradiction

The decision-making process regarding internet control has become increasingly opaque since then. Essential decisions are practically no longer made by the officially responsible Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, but are de facto held by security agencies such as intelligence services. Recent statements by Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani confirm that the current measures were a "security-related decision."

Mohajerani also claims that despite the ongoing, extensive nationwide restrictions, access to the internet "continues to be recognized as a right." This dual strategy of the state has also been known for years: While seemingly reform-oriented or technocratic governments promise relaxations, opaque institutions such as intelligence services, the Revolutionary Guard, and influential clerics advance the infrastructure for internet shutdowns.

The news platform IranWire recently reported that Mohajerani told media representatives that the "international internet" would remain shut down at least until the Iranian New Year. The new year begins in Iran on March 21.

Conflicting statements from various state circles are fueling speculation about whether the internet connection will be restored at all. On January 19, the twelfth day of the internet shutdown in Iran, Ahmad Nirumand, chairman of the Digital Transformation Commission, stated that foreign platforms would not be made accessible again for the time being. Nirumand emphasized that "under the current conditions," there is currently no room for re-establishing connections to international platforms.

Statements by the Minister of Communications about a possible lifting of restrictions have been postponed due to the changed situation. It is currently not the appropriate time for such discussions. The Secretary of the National Security Council, Ali-Akbar Pourjamshidian, also said on state television this week that it is currently unclear when internet access will be restored.