Iran’s internet shutdown stretches beyond 816 hours

The internet blackout in Iran has entered its 35th consecutive day, with connectivity reduced to around 1% of normal levels after more than 816 hours of disruption, according to independent monitoring data.

According to Digital monitoring group NetBlocks, the prolonged outage has left much of the population largely cut off from the global internet, limiting access to international news, communication platforms and online services.

Earlier, Iran had warned that Starlink satellite internet services could be treated as a “legitimate military target” amid rising tensions with the United States and Israel.

It was reported that Starlink is active in several regional states, including Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, prompting Iranian officials to describe its presence as a potential security concern in wartime conditions.

At the same time, Iran has restricted public access to global internet services since the escalation of tensions, with observers suggesting the measures are intended to control information flows and limit the spread of war-related content.

Authorities, including the Iranian Interior Ministry, have also declared civilian use of satellite internet illegal, warning of severe penalties for users.

By Aghakazim Guliyev