Iran Partially Restores Internet Access After Month-Long Shutdown

Iranian authorities have begun partially restoring internet connectivity after an almost three-month wartime blackout, the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history.

The restoration began on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, on day 88 of the shutdown, according to internet monitor Netblocks. Live metrics showed connectivity rising from near zero to approximately 35 percent of typical levels.

Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref confirmed the development on social media. “The first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken,” Aref said in a post on X, adding that the demands of Iranians “will be fulfilled”.

The shutdown was first imposed on January 8 during anti-government protests, then reinstated and intensified on February 28 after the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel. The blackout left Iranians largely cut off from international networks, with only a domestic intranet functioning for daily tasks such as shopping and education.

The restoration has been partial and inconsistent. State news agencies IRNA and Fars reported “full international internet connectivity” restored for users of fixed broadband services. However, witnesses inside Iran told international media that mobile internet remains cut while home Wi-Fi has been restored, though virtual private networks are still needed to access some social media platforms.

“A few minutes ago I could open international websites using my home internet provider,” said a 22-year-old woman from the western city of Kermanshah, asking not to be named. A user in Tehran said internet service for his company had been restored, but “mobile connection remained the same” without any access.

The restoration has been complicated by political infighting. Iran’s judiciary suspended the Special Headquarters for Organising and Governing the Country’s Cyberspace, a presidential body that had ordered the internet reopening. The judiciary’s Mizan Online website said the suspension followed the “filing of complaints,” without specifying who filed them.

The suspended body was formed on May 12 by President Masoud Pezeshkian, regarded as a more moderate figure. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani had confirmed the body reached a decision to “restore the internet” after local media reported that Pezeshkian had decreed the measure.

However, the president does not have the final say on such issues. Yaghoub Rezazadeh, a member of Iran’s national security commission in parliament, told the Hamshahri daily that the final decision “rests with the Supreme National Security Council” under hardliner Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr.

Doug Madory, head of internet analysis at US network monitoring firm Kentik, urged caution about the restoration. “Iran has a long way to go to get back to pre-Jan-8 levels of traffic volumes,” he wrote on X . Netblocks similarly warned that it remained “unclear” if the partial restoration meant a permanent end to the blackout.

The shutdown has caused significant economic damage and intense debate inside Iran. Officials have acknowledged public discontent, with government spokesperson Mohajerani stating that the administration was committed to “preventing injustice and discrimination” by restoring access. “The president has issued the decree to reopen international internet access. We hope to be able to restore this rightful right of the people within the coming days,” she said.