Internet outages in Iran have reached a record level, lasting 54 consecutive days, marking the longest communication disruption in the country’s history. The blackout, which the authorities justify as being due to wartime conditions, continues despite a ceasefire, raising questions about whether it has shifted from a temporary security measure into a tool used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to enforce internal control, amid growing economic losses and increasing pressure on different segments of society, especially young people.

Repeated disruptions and millions in losses

Internet lines in Iran have been cut off for nearly three months over the past nine months. The first time was during a 12-day war in June, when the outage lasted a week. The second time, the blackout lasted 22 days following protests in January. In the most recent war, the outage has already reached 54 days so far.

The Iranian authorities have not provided any promise to restore service, while it appears that the war has become a cover for political decisions related to international communications.

According to Iran’s Minister of Communications, Sattar Hashemi, the work and daily life of at least 10 million out of 90 million people depend entirely on the internet, while cutting the service causes direct daily losses of no less than 80 million dollars to the Iranian economy.

The security apparatus decides… and the Revolutionary Guard's leading role

The Supreme National Security Council of Iran is the body that issues orders to cut internet access. However, internal information indicates a more prominent role for military forces, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in this issue.

In this context, Ali Asghar, director of Eteghad News and a journalist close to President Masoud Pezeshkian, says that the president opposes the decision to cut the internet, reflecting an internal divide in managing this file.

These details suggest that telecommunications decisions have become closer to the security establishment, which implements its policies under the banner of war, ignoring street-level objections. During the January protests, which led to the killing of thousands of demonstrators, the president limited himself to observing developments without any real intervention.

An Iranian man walks on a pedestrian bridge inside Pardisan Park in Tehran (AFP).

Restricted internet… and widespread reliance on alternative tools

Even during periods when the internet is not fully cut off, 82% of Iranians are forced to use anti-censorship tools to access social media applications such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram.

Before the US and Israeli attack on Iran, there were around 40 million Telegram users and about 20 million Instagram users, all of whom depended on bypass tools to access these platforms.

These figures have led international institutions to rank Iran among the worst countries in terms of internet quality among the 100 largest economies, based on indicators of disruption, restriction, and speed.

Iran ranks third globally in terms of internet restrictions, with a blocking rate of 39%, after China and Myanmar. The average fixed internet speed is 5.4 megabytes per second, compared to 13 megabytes in Asia.

War as a pretext for expanding censorship

Authorities say internet shutdowns aim to prevent cyberattacks amid wartime conditions, while citizens argue that the real goal is to control the flow of information and prevent the spread of dissenting views.

In recent days, the authorities have been carrying out death sentences against several detainees from the January protests. Meanwhile, internet outages limit the spread of public reactions, reduce space for expression, and strengthen the reach of the official narrative.

Legal expert and media activist Kambiz Norouzi warns that restricting the internet not only disrupts information flow but also weakens public trust, noting that restrictions imposed over decades are now intensifying under the cover of war.

Internet for elites and a multimillion-dollar black market

At the same time, the authorities provide certain groups with uncensored internet access known as the “national internet” or “white line,” allowing them to publish targeted content, especially in English and Arabic.

They have also introduced a service called “Pro Internet,” which offers access to selected users at prices up to 20 times higher than normal rates, sparking widespread criticism as citizens see it as pushing them toward expensive alternatives.

These policies date back about 20 years to the era of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, when speeds were reduced and censorship expanded. The approach continued under former president Hassan Rouhani and reached its peak during the 2019 protests.

With every crisis or wave of protests, restrictions tighten further, while a key beneficiary emerges: the circumvention tools market, which generates an estimated $150 million in annual profits.

Internet in Iran remains a tool of pressure in the hands of the authorities and one of the clearest casualties of the ongoing conflict between the state and society.