Iran reinstates some internet access but restrictions remain for most

Iranian authorities restored some internet access about three months after taking the country offline at the start of the war with the United States and Israel. The move ended more than 2,000 hours of near-total internet shutdown in Iran, affecting a population of 90 million. Authorities said they began a process to return access to a pre-war level, which was already very restricted after a prior 20-day shutdown during January nationwide protests. Reports indicate millions of web pages remain blocked, and major global services and apps including YouTube, Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Waze are still unavailable. Mobile, wireless, and landline connections are slow and patchy, local apps malfunction, some Google services work while others do not, and Windows Wi‑Fi repeatedly restarts. Gamers face high ping and lag, and many people rely on black-market VPNs and circumvention methods, which have become cheaper but increased demand and scam/malware risks.

"Last week's move ended more than 2,000 hours of near-total internet shutdown in the country of 90 million people, the longest-ever nationwide blackout in the world."

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