Internet monitoring experts say Iran blackout likely to continue

Iran’s government has continued to shut its 90 million residents out of internet access, extending a blackout into its fourth day following nationwide protests that have allegedly resulted in dozens of deaths. 

Several internet access monitors tracking the situation said the government has continued the total internet shutdown and plans to implement a whitelist of limited, approved sites, indicating the internet blackout is likely to continue for several more days. 

The blackout began on January 8 after a series of large, economy-focused protests that kicked off on December 28 expanded to multiple major cities and provinces. On January 9, the Iranian government confirmed that it enacted the internet blackout due to the "prevailing conditions in the country."

Cloudflare, Netblocks and Kentik all shared charts and data showing that the internet blackout has stayed in place since then. 

Netblocks director Alp Toker told Recorded Future News that the internet shutdown is the most rapid deployment of Iran's kill-switch that they have tracked during protests to date. 

“Where it took several hours in 2019, networks went offline in a short moment this time. There were attempts at regional blackouts in restive cities during the period just before the shutdown, but it appears those didn't have the desired effect,” he said. 

Netblocks has shared data on social media showing fixed-line internet, mobile data and calls are all disabled while other communication methods involving satellite tools like Starlink have been targeted and taken down as well. 

Toker said the blackout is comparable to one seen during the Israel-Iran War of 2025 and noted that there is currently no real effort to establish a functioning national intranet. 

“At this point the procedure is refined and there are few gaps for information to flow through. A handful of Iranians have found official links to tunnel out of, but this isn't available to the same extent as it was in the past,” he added. 

“People are getting news out by driving to the borders where they can pick up a signal. There are more Starlink terminals, though reports of jamming are credible, similar to Russia's jamming of Ukraine's terminals on the frontline.”

According to Toker, Iran “has the means and desire to keep the blackout going indefinitely.” Direct-to-cell satellite could be a key way for Iranians to get information out of the country but it is not clear that the new generation of satellites are in the needed orbit to supply that yet, he noted. 

The internet shutdown has made it difficult for people in Iran to share updates on the current situation and the death toll from clashes between protesters and government forces. 

Internet access monitor Access Now said at least 34 protesters have been killed and 2,200 arrested while U.S.-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 503 protesters and 69 security personnel.

Iranian officials, who are still able to access the internet, claimed the protests are being fomented by the U.S. and Israel. 

“As usual though, the leadership appears to have unfettered access to X where it posts its own version of events to the outside world,” Toker told Recorded Future News. 

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters in the country on Monday that internet service “would be resumed in coordination with security authorities.”

Multiple news outlets reported on Sunday evening that U.S. President Donald Trump is mulling several different potential responses to the protests, including cyberattacks targeting Iran’s government.