Iran's Longest Internet Blackout: A 5-Month Digital Siege

Iran experienced one of the longest nationwide internet shutdowns in modern history, beginning in late December 2025 and extending through May 2026. The blackout, implemented amid anti-government protests and military strikes, affected nearly 90 million citizens. During this period, the government introduced a tiered internet access program, while some Iranians turned to satellite internet services, including Starlink, to bypass restrictions.

Timeline of Events

The internet blackout began in late December 2025 following mass anti-government protests driven by economic crises. Restrictions were partially eased in February 2026 before being tightened after US and Israeli military strikes on February 28.

According to internet monitoring group NetBlocks, Iranian authorities began restoring partial internet access on May 26, 2026, after 87–88 days of nationwide shutdown. Monitoring group Kentik reported that traffic peaked at 39% of levels recorded before a prior crackdown on January 8. Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik, stated that traffic remained below pre-January 8 levels, similar to a partial restoration observed between January 27 and February 28.

Internet Control Infrastructure

Iran routes international internet traffic through a small number of state-controlled gateways. The government has developed the National Information Network (NIN), an internal internet hosting government-approved sites and financial services. Cybersecurity researchers and human rights groups note that Iran began restructuring its internet infrastructure after mass anti-government protests in 2009.

The Supreme Council for Cyberspace oversees internet governance. According to internet monitoring project FilterWatch, decisions regarding internet access are increasingly concentrated within security bodies rather than civilian ministries.

Tiered Access: The "Internet Pro" Program

In February 2026, the government introduced "Internet Pro," a tiered internet access program sold by the Mobile Communications Company of Iran (MCI). The program offers whitelisted access to international sites for users who pass verification and hold business, academic, or scientific roles.

Pricing details include:

• A one-year 50 GB package costs approximately 2 million tomans (about $24)
• Ordinary internet costs 8,000 tomans per GB but remains heavily restricted
• Many users rely on black-market VPNs

Official positions on the program:

• President Pezeshkian's office stated in March that restrictions on global internet access are unfair and that government agencies have failed to justify the system
• Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi stated: "Tiered internet or a 'whitelist' system has no validity"
• Hardline officials, including Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, have expressed support for the program
• The program's backing stems from the Supreme National Security Council

Criticism and public reaction:

• Media outlets including Khabar Online and Ettela'at have argued the program creates a "digital elite" and widens inequality
• Labor organizations, the Iranian Psychiatric Association, and some government officials have voiced opposition
• Khabar Online described the program as dividing society into "digital elite" and "digital subjects"
• Iran Human Rights Monitor referred to the system as "digital apartheid"
• The Iran Reform Front stated the approach sustains the VPN black market and intensifies injustice

Black market activity:

• Internet Pro SIM cards have appeared on the black market
• The judiciary's head has called for action against discriminatory access
• The black-market VPN economy has cost Iranians an estimated $1.8 billion over two months, according to HRA and Iran's Chamber of Commerce

Government Justifications

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Al Jazeera TV that the internet shutdown was implemented "after we confronted terrorist operations and realized orders were coming from outside the country."

The Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed internet restrictions were imposed to prevent foreign social media platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram from being used to "organize violence and unrest."

An unidentified official speaking to Fars news stated that restrictions prevent cyberattacks and that Internet Pro is a crisis measure for specific professions.

Legal Measures and Enforcement

Iranian authorities have arrested hundreds of people for using the internet. In late March, six people were arrested in Yazd province for using Starlink equipment. According to reports, 466 people were arrested for using the internet to "hurt national security."

Using Starlink in Iran can result in a punishment of up to two years in prison. The Iranian parliament criminalized the use of Starlink devices last summer.

Four Iranians told NPR they receive regular SMS text messages from government authorities reminding them that speaking to foreign media is punishable by arrest and property confiscation.

Starlink Usage in Iran

Availability and Access

SpaceX first made Starlink available in Iran in 2022. The service uses approximately 9,000–9,500 low-earth orbit satellites to relay internet signals from ground base stations to users equipped with receivers.

Estimated number of units in Iran:

• Ahmad Ahmadian, executive director of Holistic Resilience, estimated approximately 50,000 units are present
• Mahsa Alimardani, associate director at Witness, estimates approximately 50,000 receivers
• Other estimates range between 50,000 and 100,000 users

Units are reportedly purchased abroad, smuggled into Iran, and traded on the black market. Users sometimes disguise the equipment as solar panels and employ VPNs to mask their IP addresses.

Subscription Status

Multiple sources report that Starlink has waived monthly subscription payments for users in Iran. Two individuals in Iran informed BBC Persian that their devices were operational without active subscription payments. Ahmad Ahmadian confirmed that previously inactive accounts have been activated with waived fees since Tuesday. SpaceX and the White House have not officially confirmed this development.

Government Countermeasures

Iranian authorities have deployed military-grade technology to jam Starlink signals. Human rights organizations suggest Iran may have acquired jamming technology from Russia.

Effectiveness of countermeasures:

• Amir Rashidi, a cybersecurity expert, stated that jamming efforts appear localized and that authorities reportedly lack the technology to fully suppress Starlink usage
• Mahsa Alimardani stated that "aggressive jamming" has been unsuccessful, leading authorities to resort to physical confiscations
• Reports indicate SpaceX has issued firmware updates to circumvent countermeasures
• Government jamming attempts have been primarily effective in specific urban areas

Authorities have conducted searches for Starlink dishes on rooftops and surrounding buildings, particularly in areas where significant footage has emerged.

Reported Casualties and Arrests

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports:

• As of January 18: Over 3,300 confirmed protester deaths and 24,266 arrests across 187 cities
• Over 2,600 fatalities in Iran's crackdown (this figure has not been independently confirmed)
• Actual figures are believed to be higher but verification is challenging due to the lack of internet access

One human rights organization has verified the deaths of over 2,400 protesters and nearly 150 security force personnel.

Impact on Citizens and Businesses

Communication challenges:

• Some Iranians report traveling to neighboring countries, including Turkey, to access the internet
• A woman from Tehran reported traveling to the Turkish border every three days to use Wi-Fi to contact her son
• One individual reported traveling nearly 1,000km to a border area to use neighboring mobile networks to transmit recorded video
• Some Iranians have deputized friends traveling internationally to send messages out

Business impact:

• An Iranian business owner stated his online training business was frozen
• He estimated nearly 80% of the businesses he worked with could go bankrupt within a year
• The shutdown has impacted livelihoods, particularly in the e-commerce sector

Alternative communication methods:

• A popular Iranian podcast host recorded an episode in mid-February and traveled to the border town of Marivan to access Iraqi phone data networks to upload it in March
• The hosts of another Persian-language podcast released a delayed episode in late March, stating they sent it out of Iran on a memory card
• Some Iranians report buying minutes of Starlink bandwidth or "white SIM" access on a black market, though connections are described as glitchy

International and Expert Perspectives

Human rights organizations:

• A spokesperson for the UN's Human Rights office noted that the shutdown "impacts the works of those documenting human rights violations"
• Access Now stated that restricting essential internet services endangers individuals and may enable authorities to conceal human rights abuses
• A Stanford professor called the internet blackout a "war crime" because it leaves citizens unable to avoid bombings

Internet governance experts:

• Doug Madory of Kentik noted that a tiered system could become a new normal
• Professor Alan Woodward from Surrey University suggested that the Iranian government may be using the current outage to implement long-term technical changes for internet control
• Amir Rashidi characterized the situation as primarily a political matter rather than a technical one

International parallels:

• China's "Great Firewall" blocks citizens from much of the global internet and western applications
• Russia has developed plans for a "kill switch" system, known as Ru-net, designed to isolate internal internet traffic during crises

Current Status

On May 26, Iran began restoring internet access. President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the restoration, but filtering systems remain active. Users still require VPNs to access many platforms, including WhatsApp.

Many Iranians expressed skepticism about the limited restoration. Some posted selfies on Instagram as a symbolic act after months without access.

Observers are monitoring whether internet traffic will return to pre-shutdown levels.