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0 NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/iran-president-orders-end-to-87-day-internet-blackout/Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the restoration of international internet access, ending a near-90-day blackout triggered by United States and Israeli strikes on the country.
Iranian state media reported the order on Monday, citing the head of public relations at Iran’s Communications Ministry. The mechanism for how and when Iran would physically reconnect to the global internet following the presidential directive remained unclear at the time of reporting, with no specific timeline or technical details made public.
Internet observatory NetBlocks confirmed on Monday that most Iranians had been cut off from the worldwide web for 87 days. During that period, only a small number of citizens with access to expensive and advanced Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) could circumvent the restrictions and reach international websites and services.
The blackout unfolded in two phases. Authorities first imposed a shutdown on January 8, 2026, responding to nationwide anti-government protests that had broken out days earlier. Connectivity gradually returned to closer to normal levels through February, before a second and more severe blackout was imposed on February 28 when US and Israeli strikes began against Iran. The second phase, which resulted in the more prolonged disconnection, has drawn sustained international criticism and was described by internet monitoring organisations as a near-total national shutdown at its peak.
Before the war-related blackout began, internet access in Iran was already heavily restricted under normal conditions. Authorities operate an extensive censorship system that blocks a wide range of international websites and services. Iranian authorities had also been deepening their reliance on a national intranet to deliver connected services domestically without depending on the global web, a system that has proved particularly relevant for schools, which have been following an online curriculum through that intranet during the blackout period.
The presidential order, if implemented, would mark the end of one of the most prolonged national internet shutdowns in recent years. Iran’s Communications Minister had previously acknowledged that the blackout was costing the country’s economy the equivalent of $35.7 million a day.
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/iran-president-orders-end-to-87-day-internet-blackout/
