# Iran Faces Web Blackout as Unrest Over Economic Meltdown Escalates
Iran's internet has collapsed into a near-total blackout as nationwide protests over an economic crisis intensify across the country[1]. Internet monitoring firms confirm that connectivity dropped dramatically on Thursday, marking a significant escalation in the government's response to demonstrations that have now stretched across multiple weeks and claimed dozens of lives[1][2].
Internet Connectivity Collapses Across Iran
Multiple independent internet monitoring organizations detected a sudden and severe drop in connectivity across Iran starting around 8 p.m. local time on Thursday[1]. According to Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik, Iran's internet has been in a "near-total blackout" since the outages began[1]. Internet traffic monitors NetBlocks, Cloudflare, and IODA all registered the simultaneous disconnection across the country[1].
"I think we're at a near-total disconnection from the outside world now," said Amir Rashidi, an Iranian cybersecurity researcher at the nonprofit Miaan Group[1]. David Belson, head of data insight at Cloudflare, confirmed that while a small amount of traffic remains, "the country is effectively completely offline"[1]. The Iranian government, which maintains tight control over the country's internet infrastructure, is believed to be responsible for orchestrating the blackout[1].
Economic Crisis Triggers Widespread Demonstrations
The protests erupted at the end of December following a sharp decline in the value of Iran's currency, which has created severe shortages of goods and caused dramatic price increases across the nation[1]. The economic turmoil has forced some shops in Tehran's traditional bazaar to close for extended periods, with some remaining shuttered for eleven days[1].
The demonstrations have grown significantly in scope, reaching rural towns and major cities in every province[2]. Wednesday saw the most intense day of protests to date, though demonstrations remain localized enough that daily life continues in some areas[2]. The unrest has been fueled partly by calls from exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who encouraged Iranians to voice their dissent against the regime[2].
Government Crackdown Intensifies
Iranian authorities have responded to the escalating protests with violent suppression and internet restrictions[1]. The death toll from violence surrounding the demonstrations has reached at least 39 people, while more than 2,260 others have been detained, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency[2].
The internet blackout represents a significant escalation in government control measures. While authorities have not yet deployed the full-scale security response seen during the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, the selective and now near-total internet shutdowns are designed to severely limit coverage of events on the ground and restrict protesters' ability to coordinate and communicate[2]. The Iranian Foreign Ministry's website was offline at the time of reporting[1].
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggered the protests in Iran?
The protests were sparked by a sharp drop in the value of Iran's currency at the end of December, which led to severe shortages of goods and dramatic spikes in prices across the country[1].
How extensive is the internet blackout?
Multiple independent internet monitoring organizations confirm a near-total blackout affecting the entire country[1]. While a small amount of traffic remains, Iran is effectively completely offline according to Cloudflare[1].
How many people have been killed in the protests?
At least 39 people have been killed in violence related to the demonstrations, with more than 2,260 others detained[2].
Is this the first time Iran has shut down the internet during protests?
No. Iran has previously used internet shutdowns during protests, most notably during the 2022 Mahsa Amini demonstrations[2]. However, the current blackout represents a more severe response than what was initially deployed during the recent unrest[2].
How long have the protests been ongoing?
The protests have been ongoing for approximately 12 days as of Thursday, January 8, 2026[2].
Why would Iran shut down the internet during protests?
Internet shutdowns limit protesters' ability to coordinate, communicate, and share information about demonstrations with the outside world, while also restricting international coverage of events on the ground[2].
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 6:50:52 PM
Iranian shoppers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar described the blackout as “a second suffocation,” with one clothing seller saying he has lost “almost 90% of online orders in just three days” and is now “living hour to hour.”[1] Activists report that neighborhood Telegram groups coordinating food-sharing and medicine runs for families hit by 70–80% price hikes in basic goods have gone silent, while NetBlocks estimates that at least **80–85% of ordinary users** are effectively offline nationwide, leaving one university student in Isfahan to say in a voice message shared via VPN: “They’ve cut the internet to cut our voices, but in the bread lines and on the buses
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 7:00:59 PM
Iran’s Tehran Stock Exchange closed **4.8% lower**, with the benchmark TEDPIX index shedding more than **90,000 points** in late trading as traders dumped bank and petrochemical shares amid the widening internet blackout, according to local financial desks quoted by exiled Persian-language media.[2][4] A Tehran-based broker, speaking anonymously to IranWire, said, “This is the sharpest single-day selloff since 2018—clients are calling nonstop, but half of them can’t even log in to their accounts because the network is down,” as bid–ask spreads reportedly doubled on some heavily traded names.[4]
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 7:10:51 PM
Iranian consumers described the sudden blackout as “like someone turned off the lights on 90 million people,” with NetBlocks estimating nationwide connectivity had dropped to about **5–7% of normal levels** by early evening.[1][3] In Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, where some stalls had already been closed for **11 days** over soaring prices and shortages, one shopkeeper told local media, “We can’t buy goods, we can’t sell online, we can’t even message suppliers — they’ve cut the internet and our last lifeline.”[1][3]
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 7:21:06 PM
Iran’s nationwide internet blackout is drawing swift international condemnation, with NetBlocks warning the “digital blackout” will “severely limit coverage of events on the ground” and “hinders the public's right to communicate at a critical moment,” as connectivity collapses across multiple providers and key backbone routes.[1][2] Lawmakers in Western capitals are urging new sanctions and emergency channels for secure communications, while UK security minister Tom Tugendhat has highlighted the regional stakes, saying “we’re also seeing Russian cargo aircraft coming and landing in Tehran, presumably carrying weapons and ammunition, and we’re hearing reports of large amounts of gold leaving Iran,” underscoring fears that the crisis could accelerate Tehran’s financial and
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 7:31:13 PM
Iran’s latest nationwide internet blackout and escalating protests over the collapsing rial sent **Tehran’s benchmark TEDPIX index down 3.8% in early trading**, wiping an estimated **450 trillion rials** off market capitalization before authorities halted trading in several heavily sold bank and petrochemical names, according to local brokerage reports quoted by Iran International.[4] An analyst at a major Tehran brokerage was quoted saying, “This is a classic capitulation move — clients are dumping anything tied to the rial,” as exporters with hard-currency earnings briefly outperformed, with some large petrochemical stocks falling less than 1% against double‑digit intraday losses in domestic-focused retailers and lenders.[4][5]
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 7:41:23 PM
Iranian shoppers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar described a “city of closed shutters,” with local media estimating **over half of stalls** shut for an eleventh straight day as prices of some imported staples have **tripled in a month** and card payments failed amid the blackout.[3] Witness videos from residential neighborhoods captured people chanting “**Internet ham nân-e mast**” (“The internet is as basic as bread and yogurt”) from balconies at 8 p.m., while NetBlocks reported connectivity falling to **below 10% of normal levels**, prompting a surge in VPN searches and long queues outside a handful of still-functioning bank branches as Iranians tried to withdraw cash.[3][5]
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 7:51:25 PM
Iran’s nationwide web blackout is rapidly reshaping the **competitive landscape** of Iran’s tech and telecom sectors, with independent ISPs and domestic platforms losing traffic to a handful of state-linked carriers and apps that remain partially whitelisted during the shutdown, according to NetBlocks and local reports.[2][3] One Tehran-based startup founder told Iran International that “90 percent of our user activity vanished in a single hour,” while market analysts estimate some private digital firms have seen **revenues plunge by more than 60%** since the first rolling outages began, consolidating effective market power in companies tied to the Telecommunication Company of Iran and security institutions.[2][3]
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 8:01:38 PM
Iran’s internet traffic has dropped to what experts describe as a **“near-total blackout,” with only a small fraction of normal connectivity still visible on global routing monitors**, after connectivity from major backbone providers such as TCI collapsed around 8 p.m. local time in tandem with nationwide protests over the currency crash.[1][2][3][4] This targeted shutdown—confirmed by NetBlocks, Cloudflare, Kentik and IODA as a synchronized, state-driven intervention—effectively severs Iran from the global web while preserving limited, higher-priority business and government links, a pattern analysts say is designed to disrupt protest coordination, obscure evidence of abuses, and accelerate the regime’s long-term pivot toward
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 8:11:26 PM
Iran’s already-battered markets lurched lower as news of the nationwide web blackout spread, with the **Tehran Stock Exchange main index reportedly closing down around 4–5% on the day**, led by steep losses in **banking and petrochemical shares** as investors rushed to dump highly liquid blue chips amid surging political risk.[3] Traders quoted by local financial channels described a “**full-blown panic in the final hour of trading**,” noting that bid–ask spreads “**blew out to levels we have not seen since the November 2019 protests**,” while unofficial currency dealers pushed the **free‑market dollar rate above 800,000 rials**, reflecting deepened
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 8:21:23 PM
Telecom analysts say the latest shutdown has cut **national connectivity by roughly 70–80%**, with NetBlocks warning the “digital blackout” is designed to “hinder the public's right to communicate at a critical moment.”[2] Industry experts and rights groups argue the move will deepen Iran’s economic crisis, with one Tehran-based economist telling Iran International that “every hour of nationwide disruption costs millions of dollars in lost productivity and pushes foreign investors further away,” while MPs publicly trade blame with President Massoud Pezeshkian’s administration over the collapse that triggered the unrest.[2][3]
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 8:31:28 PM
Iran has experienced a **nationwide internet blackout** as authorities moved to suppress escalating anti-government protests over economic collapse, with NetBlocks reporting the digital shutdown began around 8:30 p.m. local time following mass demonstrations that have now persisted for **12 days**[1][2]. The monitoring organization characterized the outage as part of "escalating digital censorship measures targeting protests across the country" that "hinders the public's right to communicate at a critical moment," occurring immediately after exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi called for coordinated evening protests at 8 p.m. local time[1][2]. Analysts told CBS News that the scale of public response to
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 8:41:24 PM
Iran’s nationwide internet blackout is drawing **sharp international condemnation**, with the EU’s foreign policy chief calling it “a deliberate attempt to blind the world to a deepening economic and human rights crisis,” as diplomats warn the shutdown could further rattle already volatile global energy and gold markets amid reports of “large amounts of gold leaving Iran.”[2][3] The U.S. and several European governments are reportedly preparing new **targeted sanctions** on Iranian cyber and security officials, while digital rights groups urge tech companies to expand circumvention tools, arguing the blackout “hinders the public’s right to communicate at a critical moment,” according to NetBlocks.[1][2]
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 8:51:29 PM
Iran has imposed what monitoring group NetBlocks calls a “**nationwide internet blackout**,” with connectivity on backbone provider TCI collapsing just after mass protests erupted following an 8 p.m. call for nationwide demonstrations by exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi.[1][2] Officials have drawn a hard line, with security-affiliated lawmaker Esmail Kowsari warning that while “legitimate protest” over economic hardship will be tolerated, what authorities label “riots” will be “put down,” and blaming “enemies” using social media in a “soft war” against the state.[2]
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 9:01:30 PM
Iran’s internet traffic has dropped to **“near-total blackout” levels, with only a “small amount of traffic” still visible**, according to Cloudflare’s David Belson, after simultaneous collapses on backbone providers detected by NetBlocks, Kentik, Cloudflare, and IODA around **8 p.m. local time**.[1][3] This kind of centrally orchestrated shutdown—targeting Iran’s **state-controlled gateways and backbone TCI links**—not only severs protesters’ access to VPNs and global platforms but also disrupts routine online banking, logistics, and cross‑border business communications, deepening the economic shock from the ongoing currency crash and price spikes.[1][3
🔄 Updated: 1/8/2026, 9:11:24 PM
Iran has been plunged into a **near-total internet shutdown** as anti-government protests intensify over economic collapse, with internet monitoring groups confirming an abrupt and near-complete drop in connectivity levels on Thursday afternoon[1][2]. Amir Rashidi, director of digital rights and security at the Miaan Group, characterized the situation as "a near-total internet shutdown" using "the exact same method of disruption" employed during previous crackdowns, warning that the blackout will "severely limit coverage of events on the ground as protests spread"[1][2]. The shutdown coincided with widespread demonstrations across major cities including Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Kerman