Internet shutdown forces Iranians to leave country

Ongoing systematic disruptions to international internet access in Iran have driven a new wave of migration, with the blackout now continuing for 65 days.

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The current situation is turning reliable access to information into a privilege and a marker of widening structural inequality, Caliber.Az reports, citing Iran International.

One effect of the shutdown has been the rise of short-term, urgent relocation to countries such as Armenia and Türkiye.

Individuals whose work depends on global markets are reportedly leaving Iran temporarily to maintain their income.

A technology specialist currently based in Yerevan said he spent all his savings from the past year to stay in Armenia for two months.

"This migration is not voluntary; if I cannot connect, all my foreign contracts will be canceled. Some of my friends even sold their wives’ gold or household items just to reach the internet and not lose their jobs,” he added.

Such forced movements are not only accelerating the outflow of skilled workers but also adding financial pressure on already strained families, particularly as only a limited number of people can afford to relocate.

Three Iranian professionals working in internet-dependent sectors told Iran International they had moved to Istanbul and rented housing in a remote area, taking advantage of 90-day visa-free entry to continue working.

One programmer and father of two said that the only solution was to leave his wife and children behind so he could finish a project in these three months.

“That’s just to pay off debts from the past four or five months and cover part of the travel costs. Then we’ll see what happens next,” he noted.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov