TEHRAN — Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has directed authorities to restore access to the international internet, state media reported on May 25, following a near-90-day shutdown tied to the conflict with the United States and Israel.
The announcement, attributed to the Communications Ministry’s head of public relations, did not specify the timeline or technical steps for reestablishing full connectivity with the worldwide web. NetBlocks, an internet observatory, reported that most Iranians had been cut off from global internet services for 87 days as of May 25, with only a small number able to bypass restrictions using costly, advanced VPNs.
Iran first imposed broad restrictions on Jan. 8 amid nationwide anti-government protests. Connectivity partially returned in February but was again curtailed after U.S. and Israeli strikes began on Feb. 28. Even before this recent blackout, the country tightly controlled online access through widespread censorship and an expanding domestic intranet that delivers services, such as online schooling, without relying on the global internet.