Iran Restores Internet After Months-Long Shutdown But Users Face Heavy Restrictions on Apps

CAIRO — Iranians began to regain internet access on Wednesday after authorities ended a monthslong shutdown, though users reported slow and spotty service in some areas. Apps like YouTube and Instagram remain heavily restricted, consistent with the limitations in place before the cutoff began during nationwide protests in January. Internet tracking company Netblocks said Iran’s connectivity, which measures the ability of devices to connect to the internet, is at around 86% of capacity from before the cutoff, while internet analysis firm Kentik reported traffic, which measures data transfer and reflects usage, at around 40%.

Unprecedented Shutdown and Gradual Restoration

Authorities justified the internet outage as a military imperative after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Their decision to lift some restrictions this week came as negotiators appeared to be closing in on a more permanent truce. However, many Iranians feared access could be cut off again at a moment’s notice. Amir Rashidi, an Iranian cybersecurity analyst, said there were still widespread disruptions. "It's too early to say the shutdown is over," he wrote on X.

Iran’s roughly 90 million people have been cut off from the internet for most of 2026, one of the world’s longest and strictest national shutdowns. Young people with online careers saw their incomes evaporate, and job losses alongside the closure of online businesses added to the war’s steep economic costs. At some points, phone lines were also cut off, though they were later restored.

Impact on Daily Life and Communication

The cutoff made it difficult for Iranian families to communicate through months of unrest and war. A woman living in Tehran said that for months she was barely able to speak to her sons living abroad. She couldn’t believe authorities had restored access, saying she had assumed they would find some justification to prolong the outage. A taxi driver said service was restored but weak, expressing hope it would improve so he could use messaging apps with family and friends. Both spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Prices spiked during the shutdown, with residents in Tehran at times paying around $7.50 per gigabyte. Prices have since returned to approximately $2.25 for 30 gigabytes, roughly where they were before the protests. Even before the shutdown, Iran tightly controlled access to popular social media sites, leading many to rely on virtual private networks, or VPNs. The cost of those workarounds soared during the shutdown, making them unaffordable for many as the economy was battered.

Slow Return to Service for Businesses and Content Creators

Businesses have started reappearing online, announcing their return with posts on sites like Instagram and Telegram. A gamer and tech influencer in the central city of Isfahan said the shutdown had caused him to lose a lot of his audience on YouTube and Instagram, where he had spent years building up a large following. "All my views and interactions are way down. I've been erased from the algorithm," he said in a voice note sent by WhatsApp, adding that his internet connection was still slower than before the shutdown. "The situation is such that many content producers have had their income reduced to zero, have moved on to other jobs, or have been forced to sell their equipment to survive," he said. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Government Justification and Context

Iranian authorities first shut down the internet in January during mass anti-government protests that were eventually stamped out in a violent crackdown. Thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands detained. Iran claimed the shutdown was a wartime necessity following the U.S. and Israeli attacks, and the decision to lift some restrictions this week aligned with progress toward a more permanent truce.

Context: Similar internet shutdowns have occurred in other nations facing civil unrest, such as Sudan's monthslong blackout in 2019 and India's prolonged cutoffs in Kashmir starting in 2019, both justified by authorities as security measures.