While most people use the internet for rather unimportant business, a lot of our daily lives are actually internet-dependent. Think of all the banking processes, including most card payments, security cameras on Wi-Fi networks, the internet of things devices, school and hospital systems. A lot of our civilization is taking advantage of the internet. And yet, it can be completely blocked.
B-1B Lancer firing afterburners on its way to Iran. Image credit: Wikimedia
Operation Epic Fury, in which the US and Israel are bombing Iran with unprecedented intensity, began on the 28th of February 2026. While the US has been accumulating forces in the region for quite a while, the beginning of these attacks was actually a surprise to Iran. The US and Iran were pushing through active negotiations, and it seemed like diplomacy might take its course. However, the war started instead.
And Iran immediately introduced a near‑total internet blackout. All major forms of connectivity are disrupted – from mobile to fixed‑line connections. Even Iran’s governmental systems are breaking down. It is clear that it is not some strange coincidence, because so many systems would have to collapse for the internet to be completely shut down throughout the different access points. The Iranian regime did this deliberately. And not even for the first time.
Why? Well, they are trying to disrupt communications. Iran doesn’t want its locals to post videos online, showing the movement of their military assets or the results of American-Israeli strikes. More importantly, Iran understands that this is a time where rebellious groups can organize and try to overthrow the theocratic regime, which has been in power since the 1979 revolution. In fact, previous internet blackouts were introduced specifically during protests to starve the activists from a space where they can organize their activities.
While Iran had several internet blackouts before, this one seems to be the longest so far. It’s been pushing on since the 28th of February, 2026. However, at one point, the internet was briefly restored.
It was reported that at hour 444 of Iran’s nationwide blackout, there was a brief restoration of internet connectivity. Some Iranian internet users had a brief chance to access the internet before it was swiftly cut off again. What happened? Well, no one knows. Maybe they were doing some kind of testing, or the government needed the internet for some kind of activity of their own. There is also a possibility that the blocking system somehow broke down for a bit, maybe following a strike or something.
Some people in Iran do seem to have access to the internet, because they are posting footage of American-Israeli attacks. It is unclear how it is possible, but Starlink satellite internet is not the answer, as it is not enabled there. Maybe some people are just lucky or have some kind of government-granted access.
Written by Povilas M.
Source: NOELreports on X
