Iran’s sweeping internet blackout has now entered its 35th consecutive day, with national connectivity reduced to just 1% of ordinary levels, according to internet monitoring group Netblocks. The disruption, which has lasted for more than 810 hours, has become one of the most severe digital restrictions currently in effect anywhere in the world, cutting large parts of the population off from outside information as regional conflict continues.
While missiles, drones, and military escalation dominate headlines related to the confrontation involving Iran and the U.S.-Israel coalition, the report highlights a parallel struggle unfolding in the digital sphere. For ordinary Iranians, internet access is no longer simply a convenience or commercial utility. It has become a contested channel for communication, access to news, and contact with the outside world.
Connectivity Nears Total Collapse
Netblocks said the blackout had extended beyond 816 hours, with internet access effectively flattened at around 1% of normal usage. In practical terms, that means most citizens have been unable to reach global platforms, receive timely updates, or communicate freely beyond the country’s tightly controlled domestic systems. As the incident moves through its fifth week, the blackout is increasingly being described not as a temporary outage but as a sustained nationwide digital blockade.
The organization’s assessment underscores the scale of the shutdown: the broader public remains largely cut off from the world, without vital updates and without a meaningful voice online. In modern crisis conditions, where real-time information can shape public safety, mobility, and access to services, this kind of near-total disconnection carries consequences far beyond inconvenience.
Government Justification and the National Information Network
Iranian authorities have framed the restrictions as a security measure. According to the report, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the controls were imposed to “protect the people.” But the result has been a severe narrowing of available digital space for ordinary users, many of whom are effectively confined to the country’s National Information Network, or NIN, an internalized digital system that can function separately from the wider global internet.
The distinction matters. Access to the domestic intranet may allow limited use of local services, but it does not provide the open exchange of information associated with the broader internet. In a prolonged crisis, that difference can determine whether citizens can verify news, contact relatives abroad, or share events taking place on the ground.
VPNs and Tor Remain Limited Escape Routes
Despite the scale of the blockade, some Iranians are still attempting to break through. The report says that certain VPNs remain usable in some cases, allowing users to route traffic outside the restrictions imposed by the domestic system. In addition, Tor, particularly through its Snowflake feature, has reportedly provided another method for bypassing censorship and reaching external networks.
These tools, however, offer only a partial solution and come with serious personal risk. The article notes that Iranian authorities have intensified enforcement efforts against those using circumvention technologies. That includes checking citizens’ phones for evidence that such applications are installed. In effect, merely attempting to restore access to outside information may expose users to punishment.
This creates a harsh digital paradox: the more severe the blackout becomes, the greater the incentive for citizens to seek technical workarounds, yet the act of using those workarounds itself increases the danger they face. Under such conditions, internet access becomes not just a technical problem but a matter of personal security.
Starlink Devices Still Circulate, but at Extreme Cost
The report also points to continued use of Starlink terminals inside Iran, despite longstanding legal restrictions. These satellite internet devices have reportedly remained available through unofficial channels, even though they are considered illegal. The article states that using such devices may be treated as a crime punishable by death under Iranian law, underscoring the gravity of the risks involved.
At the same time, the Iranian government is said to be actively using jamming techniques to interfere with satellite links provided by Starlink terminals. That means even users willing to accept the legal danger may still struggle to maintain a stable connection. The result is a hostile environment for alternative internet access, combining legal deterrence with technical disruption.
A Tiered Internet Under Conflict Conditions
According to the report, unrestricted access to outside networks is not evenly distributed. State-approved officials and whitelisted influencers are reportedly still able to connect more freely to the global internet, while the general public remains largely excluded. This creates a two-tiered communications environment in which access to external platforms is selectively preserved for approved voices while denied to most citizens.
Such asymmetry has broad implications. It means the state can continue to project narratives outward while reducing the ability of ordinary people to independently communicate, document events, or challenge official messaging. In an era where information control is central to modern conflict, selective connectivity can be as strategically important as physical checkpoints or broadcast restrictions.
More Than a Technical Outage
The blackout described by Netblocks is not simply a case of degraded service or temporary disruption. It is a sustained shutdown that has transformed internet access into a high-risk activity for many Iranians. Whether through VPNs, Tor, or satellite terminals, attempts to reconnect with the wider world now reportedly carry the threat of surveillance, punishment, and in some cases life-threatening consequences.
As long as the broader conflict continues, the report suggests that Iran’s current model of tight digital control is likely to remain in place. For citizens, that means prolonged isolation from global communications channels and a shrinking space for uncensored information. For observers, the situation is another reminder that in geopolitical crises, control over connectivity can become a central instrument of power.
With connectivity still hovering near 1% and the blackout stretching beyond five weeks, the Iranian case stands out as an example of how internet infrastructure can be weaponized in times of conflict. The immediate issue is digital access, but the deeper issue is whether people can safely communicate, seek information, and remain visible to the outside world at all.