Iran’s total internet blackout surprises the West as protests and tensions escalate

Iran’s decision to impose a near-total internet blackout amid ongoing unrest has surprised technology experts and policymakers in the West, underscoring how difficult it has become to independently assess what is unfolding inside the country. With almost all external connectivity cut off including satellite-based services much of what is being reported about protests, casualties and arrests remains fragmentary and speculative , filtered through foreign-based sources and state narratives on both sides.

The demonstrations, which began in late December against a backdrop of economic pressure , including high inflation and a sharply weakened currency, have entered their second week . Opposition-linked groups outside Iran claim more than 100 deaths and thousands of detentions. Iranian authorities dispute these figures, arguing that casualty numbers are being amplified abroad at a time when on-the-ground verification is virtually impossible .

What has drawn particular attention is the scope of Iran’s communications shutdown. Unlike previous disruptions, this blackout appears to have severed almost all access to the global internet. Iranian officials reportedly used advanced network controls developed with assistance from China-linked technologies to block traffic at a national level. Even Starlink , widely viewed in the West as resistant to state interference, was reportedly jammed, a development that caught many Western analysts off guard.

Iranian authorities say the blackout was imposed to prevent coordination of violence , cyber-operations and foreign information campaigns during a volatile period. Critics argue it has isolated millions of citizens and obscured the true scale of unrest. In practice, the shutdown has ensured that almost all reporting relies on second-hand accounts , leaked videos of uncertain origin, or official statements leaving room for competing interpretations.

Against this backdrop, Iran has issued a sharp warning to the United States and Israel. Speaking in parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said that if Washington were to strike Iran over the protests, US military bases, ships and Israeli territory would be considered legitimate targets . He framed the statement as deterrence , warning Iran would respond to “objective signs of a threat,” not merely an attack.

Tehran has also questioned whether the unrest is entirely organic. Officials point to public support for protesters from United States officials and calls for mobilisation by opposition figures abroad as reinforcing suspicions of external attempts at regime change , layered onto genuine domestic grievances.

Judicial authorities have taken a hard line, warning of severe penalties for those involved in violent unrest. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused foreign intelligence agencies of exploiting economic dissatisfaction to create instability.

With communications cut, tensions rising and narratives hardening, analysts caution that certainty is scarce . What is clear is that Iran’s unprecedented internet blockade has reshaped both the domestic situation and the international understanding of it leaving much of the outside world watching events unfold through inference rather than evidence .