Israel Iran War News: Iran’s nationwide internet blackout entered its 31st day on Monday, leaving millions cut off from global communication as the war with the United States and Israel moved into its fifth week.
“Iran’s internet blackout has now entered day 30 as the nationwide censorship measure continues into its fifth week after 696 hours,” internet monitoring group NetBlocks said on X.
While Iran’s domestic intranet remains functional—supporting local messaging apps, banking systems and essential services—access to the global internet is heavily restricted. For many, this has meant relying on state-controlled platforms or expensive alternatives to stay connected.
“Being without internet is really hard. When even foreign TV channels are cut off due to signal interference, we don’t have access to any news except the state TV,” said Arshia, a marketing manager in Tehran.
“We get updates from friends and family by phone, but it’s very difficult, we’re constantly stressed,” added the 37-year-old.
“Our biggest concern now is that they might not reconnect the internet at all, and we could end up becoming like North Korea. Holding onto hope is really hard. The only thing we can do now is spend all our time together as a family.”
Journalists have managed only intermittent contact with residents via apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, often during brief windows of connectivity using virtual private networks.
Maryam, a 33-year-old private sector employee, described the early days of the shutdown as particularly difficult.
“It was very hard at the beginning of the war. I had no connection with my family in another city except phone calls,” she said.
“Now we use an Iranian messaging app and can make video calls. It’s not great, but we are managing in these terrible times.”
For those with relatives abroad, communication has become both limited and costly.
“My family lives in Turkey, and I have no way of communicating with them online,” said Milad, a 27-year-old clothes salesman.
“I have to make direct phone calls, which are very expensive, so I rarely hear from them.”
Restrictions have also sharply narrowed access to information, confining users largely to domestic platforms and local media that offer only a partial picture of events. Iran has previously imposed similar shutdowns during periods of unrest, including nationwide protests earlier this year and a brief conflict with Israel in June.
Even where limited workarounds exist, connectivity remains unstable.
“I managed to find a workaround with so much difficulty,” said Hanieh, a 31-year-old ceramist in Tehran. “I managed to find a workaround with so much difficulty,” she said, adding that the connection remained unreliable.
Key takeaways:
Iran’s internet blackout has stretched to 30 days, severely limiting global connectivity.
Domestic intranet services remain active, but access to international platforms is restricted.
Citizens rely on costly phone calls or state-controlled apps to communicate.
Access to independent news is curtailed, increasing reliance on state media.
Workarounds exist but are unreliable, leaving connectivity inconsistent.