Maha Christopher
Internet access has started returning in Iran after a nationwide shutdown that lasted almost three months, according to the country’s first vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref.
According to BBC, Aref announced the development on Tuesday, saying, “The first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken.”
Internet monitoring organisations Netblocks and Kentik also confirmed that partial internet connectivity had been restored around 13:00 GMT, although Kentik noted that most networks across the country were still down.
The Iranian government had cut internet access following the outbreak of attacks involving the United States and Israel on February 28.
Officials claimed the blackout was intended to prevent surveillance, espionage, and cyber attacks during the conflict.
BBC reported that the shutdown became one of the longest national internet blackouts ever recorded globally.
Netblocks, however, said it remained unclear whether the restoration would be permanent.
“From past digital blackouts in Iran we’ve seen that the restoration process can take some hours and isn’t as streamlined as the shutdown procedure,” Netblocks Director of Research, Isik Mater, told BBC Verify.
The latest restoration comes after months of severe internet restrictions in Iran, where authorities have repeatedly imposed shutdowns during periods of political unrest and security tensions.
