Behzad Akbari, CEO of Iran's Telecommunications Infrastructure Company, announced that internet service, which has been blocked across the country for over two weeks, will be restored "today or tomorrow." This move comes after a period of information blackout that accompanied recent protests. The Fars News Agency quoted Akbari as confirming that the Supreme National Security Council approved the decision to restore service late Friday, instructing the Ministry of Communications to begin immediate implementation.
Service fluctuations and technical challenges
Despite the official announcement, the restoration of service was not entirely stable in its initial hours. Reports indicated a brief restoration of connectivity, detected by NetBlocks, an organization specializing in monitoring network security and internet freedom, before the service was disrupted again approximately 30 minutes later. Officials at the Ministry of Communications attributed this fluctuation to "technical complexities" requiring time to resolve in order to ensure complete network stability across the country.
Context of censorship and protests
This decision comes after Iranian authorities imposed a near-total internet blackout starting January 8th, a security measure to control the flow of information as protests that began in late December intensified. Internet shutdowns are a recurring tactic employed by authorities during times of crisis to limit protesters' ability to organize and communicate with the outside world, a practice that consistently draws widespread international and human rights criticism.
Amid this blackout, the authorities launched a widespread security crackdown. Official figures released by Iranian authorities on Wednesday put the death toll at 3,117, with the vast majority (2,427) described as security forces or bystanders. The authorities denied responsibility for the deaths of protesters, whom they labeled "rioters." Human rights organizations, however, document much higher figures, with independent estimates suggesting the total death toll could exceed 25,000, reflecting the scale of the violence that swept the country during the blackout.
Warnings of a widening internal gap
The continued internet blackout has not gone unnoticed within Iranian political circles. Yousef Pezeshkian, son of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, called for the service to be restored immediately. In a message posted on Telegram and carried by the official IRNA news agency, Pezeshkian warned that the continued blackout "will widen the gap between the people and the government.".
The president's son pointed out that these policies could backfire, adding new segments of society to the ranks of those dissatisfied with the situation. He emphasized that "blocking the internet will not solve anything; it will only postpone the problem." This statement reflects a growing awareness within some official circles that security solutions alone, including digital isolation, cannot address the root causes of the economic and social crises fueling public discontent in Iran.
