Iran's Internet Shutdown Hits 37-Day Record Amid War

Iran's nationwide internet shutdown reached a grim milestone this week, entering its 37th consecutive day and becoming the longest such disruption ever recorded globally, as authorities maintain strict controls amid an escalating war with the United States and Israel.

The blackout began on February 28, shortly after U.S. and Israeli forces launched military operations against targets in Iran. According to NetBlocks, a London-based internet monitoring organization, connectivity to international networks has dropped to about one percent of pre-war levels, totaling more than 864 hours of near-total isolation. This surpasses all previous nationwide outages, including those in Myanmar, Sudan, Kashmir, and Tigray, which were either intermittent or regional. Unlike North Korea, which has never been fully connected to the global web, Iran represents the first case of a country reverting from standard internet access to a limited national intranet.

Authorities imposed the shutdown to restrict information flow and curb domestic unrest, allowing only state-approved services for basic communication and news. A similar 20-day blackout occurred in January during widespread antigovernment...