An internet blackout imposed by Iran's radical Islamist regime has entered its seventh week, cutting off most of the country's more than 90 million citizens from global communication.
The government has cited national security concerns for the shutdown, which continues even after a ceasefire with the U.S. took hold, according to The New York Times.
Access remains limited to a restricted domestic network, while most international connectivity is blocked, forcing some users to rely on costly virtual private networks to get online.
Business leaders and academics say the blackout is worsening economic strain and limiting basic communication.
"Restore the internet! Right now," businessman Pedram Soltani wrote on social media. "Small businesses are collapsing."
The regime defends the restrictions, with an adviser to the Ministry of Communications describing the recent conflict as "a very complex and security-related phenomenon" and signaling that access could return.
Internet rights groups say the restrictions have created unequal access across the country.
"Regime figures and white-listed influencers post freely on social media while they silence a population of 90 million whom they claim to serve," NetBlocks said in a social media post.
The group said the blackout has now stretched beyond 45 days, with international connectivity severed for more than 1,000 hours.
"The human and economic impacts of the extended censorship measure continue to pile up, breaking global records for shutdowns in a connected society," NetBlocks added.
Critics inside Iran have also raised concerns about what they describe as selective access.
"Internet restrictions in Iran are both discriminatory and humiliating," Tehran University sociologist Mohammad Javadi Yeganeh wrote, pointing to continued access for political and military figures.
Some observers say certain users have been granted privileged access through state-approved services, allowing them to bypass restrictions while most citizens remain offline.
Sonita Sarabpour, a technology editor for the newspaper Shargh, questioned the system. "Do cyber threats disappear for a fee?" she wrote, referring to reports of paid access to international networks.
Economic estimates suggest the blackout has already cost the country more than $1 billion, with millions of livelihoods tied to online activity at risk.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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