Iran's 88-Day Internet Blackout Ends — But Access Remains Tightly Controlled

Iran's internet came back online on May 26 after 88 consecutive days of near-total shutdown — the longest nationwide blackout ever recorded. NetBlocks confirmed connectivity jumped to 86% after 2,093 hours of isolation, ending a blackout that had cut off all 90 million Iranians from the global web. The restoration is partial at best, and a court injunction filed the same day is already threatening to reverse it.

How it started

The blackout began January 8 during anti-government protests driven by a severe economic crisis — inflation running at 42% and a collapsing currency. It intensified dramatically on February 28 after US–Israel strikes killed Supreme Leader Khamenei, giving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) justification to impose a complete communications blackout. Mobile networks, home broadband, and international apps went dark simultaneously.

The economic damage was severe. Iran's Communications Minister put the daily cost at $35.7 million; independent analysts estimated the real figure at $70–80 million per day once indirect losses were included. Online sales dropped 80%. Tech startups folded. Iranians with family abroad lost contact for months.

Restoration with strings attached

What returned on May 26 is not a free internet. WhatsApp and most major foreign apps remain blocked. VPNs — the usual workaround — are being throttled. A new tiered scheme called "Internet Pro" reserves full international access for government agencies and IRGC-linked organizations, per UPI. Ordinary citizens get a filtered domestic network, the so-called "Filternet."

The political fault line is now visible. President Pezeshkian campaigned on a promise of "free internet" — that pledge has not survived contact with the IRGC. An administrative court suspended enforcement of the presidential restoration order on the same day it was issued, reports Euronews, meaning the legal basis for even partial reconnection is currently under judicial review.

What comes next

Whether the 86% restoration holds depends on the court's ruling and how far the IRGC is willing to push back against Pezeshkian's reformist faction. For now, Iranians have mobile data and home broadband — but the global internet most of them knew before January remains largely out of reach.