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Partial Return of Internet Access in Iran After Nationwide Shutdown

Wednesday, May 27, 2026
5 min read
Partial Return of Internet Access in Iran After Nationwide Shutdown

Iranians seemed to welcome the partial return of internet access on Tuesday. It happened after an 88-day nationwide shutdown. That shutdown followed the start of the war with Israel and the United States back in late February.

The restoration, though it was patchy and uneven, felt like the first real easing of those restrictions. It was a huge step, after all.

For nearly three months, millions of people were stuck. They were mostly locked onto domestic websites and services. Everything ran on the country’s internal intranet.

NetBlocks, the internet monitor, said live data showed some connectivity was back on day 88. They called it the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history.

“Confirmed: Live metrics show a partial restoration to internet connectivity in Iran on day 88,” they wrote on X. But they added a warning. It’s still unclear if this reopening is going to stick.

As access slowly trickled back, people started talking. Lots of Iranians were on social media, just expressing relief and excitement.

You saw things like, “YouTube without a VPN!!! Oh my God, am I dreaming?” one user posted on X. Another one just said, “Hello my dear Twitter,” welcoming the return to international platforms.

Witnesses inside Iran told AFP that home internet services were starting to work in some spots. But the mobile internet? That was still mostly unavailable. People still needed VPNs to get to certain blocked social media sites.

One 22-year-old woman from Kermanshah told AFP that a few minutes ago, she could finally open international websites using her home provider.

Another user in Tehran mentioned that service had returned at his company. Still, mobile connections were completely cut off.

The whole situation is messy politically. Iran first started these sweeping internet cuts back in early January, during those anti-government protests. Then they tightened it again on February 28, right when the war with the US and Israel kicked off.

Now, the partial return brings up a lot of debate inside Iran about how long this shutdown lasted and what it cost them economically.

Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said this was the “first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace.”

But things are still very sensitive. Earlier today, the judiciary suspended a presidential cyberspace body. This body had been created by President Masoud Pezeshkian. They suspended it after it reportedly ordered the internet access to be restored.

Meanwhile, Yaghoub Rezazadeh, who is part of the national security commission in parliament, told an Iranian daily that the final call on these kinds of issues “rests with the Supreme National Security Council.” That council is under hardliner Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr.

Internet analyst Doug Madory of Kentik warned that there’s still a long way to go. Traffic levels haven't returned to normal yet. He wrote on X that Iran still has a long way to go to get back to the traffic volumes they had before January 8th.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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