Iran Enacts Near-Total Internet Blackout Amid Widespread Fuel Protests
The Iranian government severely restricts internet access to just five percent of normal levels in response to escalating protests over rising fuel prices. Both fixed and mobile networks remain largely offline as the blackout extends past the seventy-five-hour mark.
Iran experiences a near-total national internet shutdown as the government retaliates against escalating protests sparked by rising fuel prices. Monitoring organization NetBlocks confirms that national connectivity drops to just five percent of ordinary levels, affecting both fixed broadband and major mobile operators including MCI, Rightel, and Irancell.
The blackout severely disrupts communication inside and outside the country as it continues past the seventy-five-hour mark. Defense analyst Babak Taghvaee reports that internet lines are completely severed, leaving only monitored telephone calls to certain countries as the primary link to the outside world.
Despite the severe restrictions, some isolated videos and messages still surface on social media platforms like Twitter to document the ongoing unrest. These scattered posts show massive traffic backups on closed highways and clashes between citizens and police forces on the streets of Tehran.