Iran approves Internet restoration after nationwide shutdown

The head of Iran’s state-run telecommunications company said on Saturday that internet access could be restored “today or tomorrow,” according to the Fars News Agency.

Behzad Akbari, chief executive of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Company, was quoted by Fars as saying the country was close to resolving the disruption. “If God wills it, this problem will be resolved today or tomorrow,” Akbari said.

According to the agency, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council approved the restoration of internet connectivity late on Friday and informed the Ministry of Communications of its decision.

Fars reported that international internet access briefly returned before being cut again after around 30 minutes. The same development was observed by NetBlocks, a global internet monitoring organization that tracks network disruptions worldwide.

Officials from the Ministry of Communications, however, cautioned that the full restoration of service could take longer, citing “technical complexities” involved in bringing the network back online.

Iranian authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown on January 8. The move was widely seen as an attempt to limit the flow of information amid a violent crackdown on protests that erupted in late December. 

The unrest, according to activists and rights groups, resulted in thousands of deaths and marked one of the most severe episodes of repression in recent years.

The internet blackout has severely disrupted daily life in Iran, affecting businesses, financial transactions, and access to information, while drawing criticism from international organizations and digital rights advocates.