ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The “first step” toward ending Iran’s nearly three-month internet ban has been taken, Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref confirmed on Tuesday, as a prominent internet access monitoring group also reported a “partial” restoration of connectivity to the global network while warning that it remains “unclear” whether the restoration will persist.
“Following the directive of the esteemed President [Masoud Pezeshkian] and in line with the [current] government’s promise, the first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken,” Aref said in a post on X.
“With the restoration of internet access, smart services will be facilitated, the demands of the people who have steadfastly stood by the establishment and Iran will be met, and obstacles to knowledge-based development and scientific authority will be removed,” he added.
The move to restore internet connectivity across Iran comes a day after Fars News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported on Monday that Aref had chaired the Special Headquarters for Organizing Cyberspace in a session that saw “significant resolutions” passed regarding internet access.
“In this meeting, establishing an international internet connection was approved with nine votes in favor and three against, and was sent to President Pezeshkian’s office for approval,” Fars cited a source as saying, adding that following the president’s approval, it would be forwarded to the Iranian communications ministry for implementation.
Meanwhile, NetBlocks, a monitor known for tracking internet shutdowns and digital censorship, confirmed on the same day that “live metrics show a partial restoration of internet connectivity in #Iran on day 88 [of the shutdown],” which began in late February, with connectivity currently standing at 34 percent.
However, the monitor warned that “after 2,093 hours of near-total isolation from the international network… it remains unclear whether the restoration will be sustained.”
Iranian authorities first initiated the internet blackout on February 28, the same day the US and Israel launched a widescale aerial campaign striking thousands of targets across Iran over six weeks of hostilities.
The warring sides later agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8, which halted fighting to allow space for talks. The internet restoration comes as negotiations between Tehran and Washington have in recent days moved closer toward an agreement, a final deal has yet to be reached.
The latest blackout has been described by rights and digital access monitors, including NetBlocks, as “the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history.” Affecting a population of over 93 million, it marked the third such disruption in less than 12 months imposed by Iranian authorities, following a near-total shutdown during the 12-day war with Israel in June 2025 and a 21-day disruption that overlapped with nationwide pro-reform protests in January of this year.
At the economic stage, “The direct damage from the internet shutdown is estimated at $30–40 million per day,” according to Afshin Kolahi, head of the Knowledge-Based Commission at the Iran Chamber of Commerce, in a mid-April post on X, adding that indirect losses could be even higher, reaching around $80 million per day.
Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in late April censured Tehran over the internet restrictions, stating that the shutdown was “denying people across the country access to vital information, silencing independent voices, and inflicting enormous social and economic harm.”
He further warned that the blackout was “exacerbating an already precarious humanitarian and economic situation” and “must be lifted immediately.”