Iran records world’s longest nationwide internet shutdown amid ongoing conflict

New Delhi: Iran’s internet blackout, imposed following a joint US-Israel military operation on Tehran, has now entered its fifth week, making it the longest nationwide internet shutdown on record, according to digital monitoring group NetBlocks on Sunday.

In a post on social media platform X, NetBlocks reported that the shutdown has continued for 37 consecutive days, exceeding 864 hours, surpassing all previous comparable incidents in terms of duration and scale.

“Iran’s internet blackout is now the longest nation-scale internet shutdown on record in any country, exceeding all other comparable incidents in severity having entered its 37th consecutive day after 864 hours,” it said.

The blackout, which began on February 28, has effectively isolated the general public from the global internet while authorities experiment with selective access through a tiered whitelisting system.

NetBlocks highlighted that while other countries have faced intermittent or region-specific shutdowns — such as Myanmar, Sudan, Kashmir, and Tigray — none has experienced a full national disconnect for this length of time after previously having standard internet access.

By contrast, countries like North Korea, which have never been connected to the global internet, remain internationally isolated but were never online to begin with.

The blackout coincides with continuous missile and drone strikes by the US and Israel on Iranian targets.

In response, Tehran has launched retaliatory attacks on US and Israeli facilities in neighboring Gulf countries.

Amid the conflict, Iranian authorities have also restricted alternative access methods, including satellite connections and VPNs, leaving citizens with limited or no reliable ways to communicate.

NetBlocks stressed the human cost of the shutdown, noting that families are unable to contact loved ones at a critical time.

Despite these challenges, there are no signs of de-escalation, and the Iranian government has not indicated when full internet access will be restored.

IANS