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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, on February 11. / Photo via Reuters

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the restoration of international internet access, which had been entirely cut off following military clashes with the United States and Israel.

Iran's state-run media reported the directive on May 25, citing the head of the public relations office at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. However, specific details regarding the exact timeline and technical methodologies for reconnecting to the global web infrastructure have not yet been disclosed.

According to NetBlocks, an international internet monitoring organization, the vast majority of Iranian citizens have been completely severed from the global internet network for the past 87 days.

Currently, only a fraction of the population with access to high-cost, high-performance Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) has been able to access the outside web via heavily restricted bypass methods.

The Iranian authorities' digital clampdown was implemented in consecutive phases since the beginning of this year.

The initial shutdown was executed on January 8 following the eruption of nationwide anti-government protests, though access was gradually normalized over the course of February. However, authorities instituted a total blackout once again on February 28, immediately after the United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes against Iran.

Even during peacetime, Iran has maintained stringent restrictions on international internet access through a comprehensive and systematic website censorship framework.

Recently, Iranian authorities have been accelerating the development of a proprietary national intranet designed to mitigate reliance on the global web while ensuring stable domestic services. This internal network is reportedly being utilized primarily by educational institutions currently conducting online classes.

                                                                                                             Lee Jung-eun