Iran has partially restored its internet connection on Tuesday after nearly 88 days of almost complete shutdown. However, there are divisions within the top Iranian leadership, sending conflicting signals. It is reported that Iran has imported network monitoring equipment from China, and some high-ranking officials have revealed plans to permanently shut down the internet.
Meanwhile, Iranian pro-military media reported that an administrative court has temporarily suspended the operation of the government-established agency responsible for restarting the network.
The internet monitoring organization Netblocks posted on social media platform X on Tuesday, saying, “Real-time data shows that after being almost completely isolated from the international network for 2093 hours, Iran’s internet connection partially resumed on the 88th day, making it the longest nationwide internet disruption in modern history.”
The Special Internet Space Agency established by President Masoud Pezeshkian voted on Monday to restore international internet connections to the status before January 2026.
Sattar Hashemi, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, stated that the decision to restore the network was approved with 9 votes in favor and 2 against at the first formal meeting of the relevant agency. His deputy mentioned that fixed-line internet connections nationwide have started to recover.
With internal divisions within the Iranian ruling elite, conflicting signals are being sent. On Monday, Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, initially questioned the government’s authority to issue such orders, noting that since these restrictions were implemented by the Supreme National Security Council, only that body could officially lift them.
A few hours later, Fars News Agency softened its stance in an editorial, stating that reopening the internet was a necessary “technical and security” decision, and as the internet environment improves, this decision will “inevitably” happen.
On Tuesday, Iranian pro-military media reported that an administrative court had temporarily suspended the operation of the government-established agency responsible for restarting the network. This information has yet to be confirmed.
Mohammad Sarafraz, former head of the Iranian National Broadcasting Corporation and current member of the Supreme Internet Space Committee, told the Faraz newspaper that factions within Tehran are trying to limit global internet access for the public while keeping the internet reserved for a controlled minority.
He disclosed that Iran had imported equipment from China for “permanently cutting off the internet.”
The media cited informed sources reporting that Peyman Jebelli, the current head of the Iranian National Broadcasting Corporation, and Amin Aghamiri, Secretary of the Supreme Internet Space Committee, are the strongest opponents of restoring international internet access.
According to reports from Faraz News Agency, until the end of the meeting, both individuals remained staunchly opposed to Iran reconnecting to the global network.
The report stated that Aghamiri’s stance is especially noteworthy as the Secretary of the Supreme Internet Space Committee is appointed by the president. Despite Aghamiri’s initial appointment during the previous government, President Pezeshkian chose to retain him.
The report also mentioned that Aghamiri’s opposition has caused a rift with the government, and Pezeshkian has publicly stated that restoring internet access is one of his top priorities.
Laura Edelson, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Northeastern University, told the international Iranian communications agency that many countries, including Iran, are developing towards a centralized internet control model for the Uyghurs similar to China.
She emphasized that the Chinese Communist Party relies on the national machinery to filter content, monitor users, and selectively determine which information the public can access. Authoritarian governments increasingly influenced by China are leaning towards adopting flexible internet monitoring systems to tighten restrictions during politically sensitive periods and loosen them when economic activities are needed.
Max Meizlish, Senior Research Analyst at the Democracy Foundation, a former US Treasury Department sanctions enforcement official, expressed concerns about China exporting censorship technology and monitoring capabilities to its authoritarian partners.
He worried that this form of censorship would constitute “a massive violation of human rights.”
Meizlish suggested that there should be a growing examination of the transfer of network monitoring technology between China and Iran from the perspective of human rights violations and digital suppression.