By Pishtaz | 2026-02-06

In one of Iran's most severe internet shutdowns in recent history, Yousef Pezeshkian, son of President Masoud Pezeshkian, publicly urged authorities to restore nationwide connectivity.

His appeal comes weeks after Islamic Republic regime cut internet access across the country amid widespread protests and escalating political and economic grievances.

Yousef has framed his appeal around the humanitarian consequences of prolonged disconnection for ordinary Iranian families.

He emphasized that without internet access, families cannot locate missing relatives or receive timely medical updates during an unfolding national crisis.

The blackout has exposed not only technological disruption but also deepening domestic tensions between the Islamic Republic regime and an increasingly isolated population.

Since January 8, authorities have enforced a near-total shutdown of internet and telecommunications services as demonstrations spread across major urban centers.

Monitoring organizations such as NetBlocks reported that most domestic and international traffic was severed, leaving only limited government-approved websites intermittently accessible.

The prolonged disruption has left millions disconnected from essential communication channels during a period marked by unrest, uncertainty and heightened public anxiety.

Internet shutdown as a tool of control

Internet access across Iran remains severely restricted, with international platforms largely unreachable and domestic traffic confined to heavily censored state-controlled networks.

Officials have repeatedly suggested connectivity could be restored "soon," yet access has remained sporadic, incomplete and unpredictable for most citizens.

Partial restoration efforts have proven inconsistent, with brief increases in connectivity often followed by renewed outages and throttling across multiple regions.

Authorities have defended the shutdown as a security measure intended to prevent the spread of protest footage and disrupt demonstrator coordination.

Human rights organizations counter that the blackout primarily serves to obscure evidence of an aggressive crackdown on dissent and limit independent reporting.

The ongoing restrictions have further eroded public trust, reinforcing perceptions that information control has taken precedence over transparency and accountability.

Economic and social impact

International reporting indicates hospitals have been overwhelmed by trauma cases following clashes between protesters and security forces nationwide.

The communications blackout has significantly hindered emergency coordination, delayed patient information and complicated efforts to manage already strained medical systems.

The blackout has also inflicted severe economic damage, particularly on businesses dependent on digital connectivity for daily operations.

Small online vendors, ride-hailing services and e-commerce platforms have suffered sharp losses as transactions stalled and customer access disappeared.

Analysts note that unreliable or intermittent connectivity offers little benefit, as unpredictability disrupts commerce and undermines consumer confidence.

Socially, the shutdown has amplified fear and confusion, fostering conspiracy theories about casualty figures and the scale of state violence.

Despite the high-profile appeal, authorities have not meaningfully altered policy, signaling reluctance to balance internal dissent with public communication needs.