Iranians cut off from internet for 1,000 hours

Iranians have been cut off from access to the internet for 1,000 hours, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said early on Saturday.

The organization, which tracks internet shutdowns, said it is the longest nation-scale internet shutdown on record in any country.

Since the initial Israeli and US attacks on the country on February 28, most Iranians have only had access to a restricted internal intranet containing only state-approved content.

By contrast, a small section of the military and the ruling authorities continue to use the internet without restrictions. Iranian media outlets are also publishing their news on Telegram and X, which are blocked inside the country.

Iran's internet is subject to strict censorship even in peacetime. Many websites and apps are blocked in the country, which has a population of over 90 million.

VPN (virtual private network) services are part of everyday life for the majority of Iranian users so that they can access social media and networks such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. However, connections are often slow and unreliable.