Iran partially lifts longest internet shutdown in history, data shows

WorldTechnology
26 May 2026 • 11:50 PM MYT
DPA International
DPA International

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Image from: Iran partially lifts longest internet shutdown in history, data shows
FILE PHOTO - A woman wears a mask featuring a Wi-Fi symbol to protest internet censorship in Iran during a demonstration at Frankfurt's Rathenauplatz in support of the Iranian opposition politician and son of the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. (is associated with: «Iran partially lifts longest internet shutdown in history, data shows») Boris Roessler/dpa

Iran has partially lifted the internet blackout that has been in place for more than two months, live data from internet watchdogs showed on Tuesday.

Netblocks, an organization specializing in internet blackouts, wrote on X that the shutdown was "the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history," with Iran almost completely cut off from international networks for 2,093 hours.

The organization warned that it was still unclear whether the restoration will last.

Data from the IT company Cloudflare also showed an increase in web traffic on Tuesday compared to previous weeks.

Iranian sources said President Masoud Pezeshkian had on Monday ordered the blockade on international internet connections to be lifted, though no timeline for restoring access was provided.

Iranian media reported in mid-May about a possible lifting of the blockade on June 5.

The government had almost completely blocked access to the global internet in the country since the start of the war with Israel and the United States on February 28.

Since then, Iranians have only been able to use the so-called "national internet," where they can only access websites that the state has authorized. The block has led to significant economic and social consequences.

Iran's internet is subject to strict censorship even in peacetime. Many websites and apps are blocked; internet users rely on expensive local VPN services to access social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.