Internet connectivity tumbled across Iran amid the first wave of street protests over a deepening economic crisis, with multiple independent monitors reporting near-total outages on Monday and the likelihood that the regime was preparing to power down communications as demonstrators continue to take to the streets.
The abruptness of the shutdown cut access to social platforms, messaging apps, and international sites, severely curtailing the flow of information from cities where protests had been intensifying.
Connectivity plunges nationwide amid economic protests
NetBlocks, Cloudflare, and the Internet Outage Detection and Analysis project (IODA) reported a series of similarly dramatic plunges in traffic across the country, suggesting centrally ordered restrictions rather than isolated technical failures. Mobile networks were hardest hit, with fixed-line services also slowing in tandem, a signature feature of Iran’s centralized model for its “kill switch,” observers said.
Amir Rashidi, an internet security and digital rights researcher, said the blackout was being launched through a state-controlled gateway that collects phones’ international connections — in effect throttling down or shutting off the flow to and from outside of the country while maintaining some local connectivity. The split is facilitated by Iran’s National Information Network, which prioritizes access to approved services and domestic platforms during outages.
Protests galvanized by worsening economic strain
The new demonstrations erupted after the currency, the rial, suddenly lost much of its value amid a wave of shortages and price spikes, adding to long-held resentment over inflation and joblessness. Shops in Tehran’s historic bazaar have closed for days at a time as purchasing power vanishes, according to The New York Times, a rare sign of discontent from one of the regime’s bedrock constituencies.
Authorities have reacted with arrests and disbanding of crowds, even though videos posted before the blackout showed protests in multiple provinces. Rights advocates warn that connectivity restrictions often worsen in conjunction with crackdowns on the ground, blocking out links to critical transparency and response.
A familiar shutdown playbook returns in Iran
Iran has previously imposed network controls in times of turmoil. The country had enforced a near-total internet blackout during protests over fuel prices in 2019, and in 2022 it tightened filtering and blocked access after the death of Mahsa Amini led to nationwide demonstrations. Instagram and WhatsApp — once widely used — are still restricted, along with forced redirection of users to VPNs that have also become more targeted.
Technical indicators of this in previous incidents have included deep packet inspection, DNS tampering, and withdrawing key internet routes. From the outside looking in, it seems that this time around we are seeing both brute-force throttling of mobile data and selective blocking of international gateways — a way to suppress outward-bound traffic whilst keeping essential domestic service alive.
Rights and access to information in growing danger
Iran is one of the most consistent enforcers of shutdowns worldwide, according to Access Now’s KeepItOn coalition, which has said the practice contravenes international human rights norms on freedom of expression and access to information. Amnesty International and UN experts have condemned deliberate cuts in power supply for hiding excessive use of force and preventing documentation of abuses.
And they said that the effects of shutdowns fall disproportionately on vulnerable populations, including those dependent on telemedicine; remittances sent by relatives abroad that have declined in some countries; and digital education. When messaging and navigation tools fail, practical risks rise: People can’t communicate to arrange for safe passage home, small emergencies go unanswered, families abroad lose contact with loved ones.
Economic fallout widens amid nationwide outages
Connectivity outages further complicate the crisis that has given rise to the protests. E-commerce, ride-hailing, and online payment platforms report instant declines in the number of transactions; local market leaders like Digikala and Snapp also normally acknowledge service outages amid nationwide throttling. Supply chains — from wholesale logistics to last-mile delivery — grind to a halt as cloud-based tools and messaging go offline.
NetBlocks’ COST model has consistently demonstrated that national internet restrictions in major economies can have devastating daily economic impacts to the value of millions of dollars, affecting productivity, business and consumer spending as well as tax takes. For small businesses that pivoted online after earlier platform shutdowns, repeat outages eat away at customer confidence and narrow profit margins.
What to watch next as shutdowns and protests evolve
Analysts are monitoring whether mobile operators — primarily MCI, Irancell, and Rightel — revert to baseline service or continue to selectively restrict networks in high-protest areas. Usage of satellite internet and adoption of VPNs usually spike during prolonged outages, leading to a fresh crackdown on circumvention tools and stores selling access.
Should the blackout endure, look for more pressure on remittances, online banking, and cross-border commerce — as well as an expanding information vacuum that makes independent confirmation of events harder. For now, the message is loud and clear: Iran’s information controls have tightened again at a time of acute economic stress and public anger, with consequences that extend well beyond the country’s digital borders.
