Iran is experiencing a near-total internet blackout as nationwide protests continue over economic hardships. Reports from web monitoring organisations indicated that connectivity dropped sharply on Thursday, leaving citizens largely disconnected from the outside world.
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Cybersecurity researcher Amir Rashidi of the nonprofit Miaan Group said the country is facing “a near-total disconnection from the outside world now.” Rashidi attributed the disruption to government control over internet access, suggesting that the blackout may have been implemented intentionally.
Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik, confirmed the outage, noting that Iran has been almost completely offline since around 11:30 a.m. EST (8 p.m. local time in Tehran). Traffic tracking platforms, including NetBlocks, Cloudflare, and IODA, recorded significant drops in connectivity across the country simultaneously, indicating a coordinated collapse.
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David Belson, head of data insight at Cloudflare, remarked, “We continue to see a small amount of traffic, but the country is effectively completely offline.” The blackout comes amid mounting protests that began in late December following a sharp devaluation of the Iranian currency and soaring prices, which have caused widespread shortages.
Shops in Tehran’s traditional bazaar have reportedly remained closed for over 11 days, worsening public unrest and drawing attention from international media, including The New York Times. Analysts note that restricting internet access during protests is a tactic historically used to control information and limit mobilization, though it can also intensify public frustration.
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The scale and duration of the outage remain unclear, and authorities have not publicly commented on the cause. Meanwhile, Iranians are relying on limited workarounds, such as satellite connections and VPNs, to access news and communicate with the outside world.