London: Iran has plunged into the longest nationwide internet blackout ever recorded, now stretching into its 37th consecutive day amid escalating conflict with the United States and Israel, according to NetBlocks.
The shutdown, first imposed five weeks ago following a US-Israel joint military operation on Tehran, has isolated millions.
In a X post on Sunday NetBlocks , the UK-based internet observatory that monitors global connectivity disruptions in real time, said: “Iran’s internet blackout is now the longest nation-scale internet shutdown on record in any country, exceeding all other comparable incidents in severity having entered its 37th consecutive day after 864 hours.”
It said: “Exactly five weeks ago on Saturday 28 February, Iran cut off access to the global internet. The measure remains in place, entering day 36 after 840 hours, isolating the general public as authorities explore ways to give chosen users access via a tiered whitelisting system.”
The monitor distinguished Iran’s full-scale cutoff from other cases.
It added: “Iran is the first country to have had internet connectivity and then subsequently lost it by reverting to a national network, while others such as North Korea have skipped the connected phase and been internationally isolated for longer.”
The monitor also referenced: “Intermittent digital shutdown incidents such as Myanmar, and those experiencing restoration after several weeks like Sudan, and sub-national incidents like Kashmir and Tigray have also been recorded over a longer period.”
NetBlocks noted: “Wartime damage to infrastructure in countries at war like Ukraine and Gaza has also resulted in extended reductions in connectivity due to damaged infrastructure, resulting in an observable reduction in users though no war is known to have sent an entire country offline.”
This blackout stems from five weeks of intense US-Israeli missile and drone assaults on Iran, met with Tehran’s strikes on American and Israeli assets in Gulf states. Authorities have clamped down on alternatives like satellite internet and VPNs, severing reliable communication for most citizens.
NetBlocks drew attention to the human cost, noting: “With international connectivity cut and domestic service limited, many families are unable to contact loved ones when it’s most needed.” It called for an immediate lifting of the blackout.
