Nationwide Internet Blackout Hits Iran Amid Sustained Economic Protests

Tehran – Iran experienced a severe nationwide internet blackout on Thursday, according to the internet monitoring group NetBlocks, as a wave of protests over severe economic hardship continued to grip the country. The disruption significantly limited online communication and the flow of information both within Iran and to the outside world.

The blackout coincides with reported protests in several major cities. Witnesses in the capital Tehran, as well as in the major cities of Mashhad and Isfahan, told Reuters that demonstrators gathered again on Thursday, chanting slogans against the nation’s clerical leadership. The internet disruption is widely seen as a measure by authorities to stifle protest coordination and obscure the scale of the unrest from international view.

The current protests, which analysts describe as the most significant wave of public dissent in three years, began last month among shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, decrying the Iranian rial’s precipitous decline. The unrest has since spread nationwide, fueled by deepening economic distress. Citizens face rocketing inflation, widespread shortages, and plummeting purchasing power—conditions exacerbated by long-standing economic mismanagement and stringent Western sanctions linked to Iran’s nuclear program.

Conflicting Narratives and External Voices
Conflicting accounts of the situation have emerged. Iranian state media reported that cities across the country were calm. However, social media posts, which Reuters could not independently verify, described demonstrations in numerous cities and towns, with some protesters allegedly chanting slogans in support of Reza Pahlavi. Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last Shah who was deposed in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, called for further protests in a video message on the platform X on Wednesday.

The government has moved to address one facet of the public anger. Earlier on Thursday, state media reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian warned domestic suppliers against hoarding or overpricing goods. “People should not feel any shortage in terms of goods’ supply and distribution,” he stated, directing his government to ensure adequate supplies and monitor prices nationwide.

Regional and International Tensions Simmer
The domestic crisis unfolds against a backdrop of heightened regional and international tensions. Tehran remains under significant international pressure, particularly from the United States and Israel. The protests follow a period of escalated conflict, including a series of attacks between Iran and Israel earlier this year, and the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites by what Iranian officials identified as Israeli and U.S. forces seven months ago.

Adding to the diplomatic pressure, former U.S. President Donald Trump recently issued a statement threatening to come to the aid of Iranian protesters if security forces were to fire upon them. Such comments are likely to reinforce the Iranian leadership’s longstanding assertion that the unrest is fomented by foreign adversaries.

With communication channels severely restricted and the economic grievances showing no sign of abating, the situation in Iran remains volatile. The internet blackout underscores the authorities’ attempt to control the narrative, but it also highlights the profound challenges facing the Islamic Republic as it confronts one of the most sustained periods of public discontent in recent years.

 

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