Internet Connectivity Fails in Iran During Protests Over Economic Troubles
Iran faced a major internet blackout as protests erupted over rising prices and economic issues. Experts confirm a near-total disconnection.
Tehran: Internet connectivity collapsed in Iran on Thursday during nationwide protests. Web monitoring firms reported a dramatic drop in internet access. Amir Rashidi, an Iranian cybersecurity expert, stated that the country is nearly cut off from the outside world.
Doug Madory, an internet analyst at Kentik, mentioned that the blackout started around 11:30 a.m. U.S. time, or 8 p.m. in Tehran. Many companies, like NetBlocks and Cloudflare, also noticed this sudden loss of access. David Belson from Cloudflare said that while some small traffic remains, the country is mostly offline.
These protests began in December when the value of Iran’s currency dropped sharply. This led to shortages of goods and rising prices. Reports say some shops in Tehran’s traditional bazaar have been closed for about 11 days. The Iranian government is responding to these protests with force.
Rashidi believes the government is responsible for the internet blackout, as it controls internet access tightly. Media representatives from the Iranian government in the U.S. did not reply to requests for comments. Additionally, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website was not working at the time.