The Iranian regime has not loosened its control on digital communications since the start of the hostilities with the U.S.-Israel coalition, and now the internet blockade has reached its third week.

Netblocks, an internet observatory that has monitored the situation shortly after the first airstrikes, stated that internet users are being forced into the National Information Network. This controlled, ID-vetted intranet only allows access to sites approved by the Iranian government.

“At hour 504, few circumvention tools work as authorities crack down on satellite and VPN users outside the state-approved whitelist,” the organization stressed.

The measure has become the “longest sustained nation-scale internet blackout we’ve tracked in a highly connected society,” and it is one of the three largest internet shutdowns in its records, said Alp Toker, director of Netblocks, to Middle East Eye.

As users seek to sidestep these controls, the Iranian regime is also strengthening its oversight of devices like Starlink terminals, which are scarce and costly but available on black markets around the country.

On March 17, the regime reported having seized hundreds of Starlink terminals in a “complex and extensive” operation. Intelligence officers stated that these were used to “serve the enemy,” clarifying that owning and using these services was a crime under Iranian law that would warrant the “harshest punishments, particularly for those connected to or working for the enemy.”

Other options, like ordinary virtual private networks (VPNs), cannot surpass the Iranian digital wall, and the regime has whitelisted certain organizations to access the internet.

“Overall, the figure of those with some international access is understood to be in the thousands or low tens of thousands, primarily those who are pre-approved by the state, depending on the state of restrictions on a given day,” Toker concluded.

• Why is Iran currently experiencing a massive internet blackout? The regime has forced users onto a state-controlled intranet for over three weeks amid ongoing hostilities with the U.S.-Israel coalition.
• How severe is the current internet shutdown in Iran? Internet monitor Netblocks reports this is the longest sustained nation-scale blackout ever tracked in a highly connected society.
• How is the government handling citizens using satellite internet? Iranian intelligence has seized hundreds of black-market Starlink terminals, warning that users face harsh criminal punishments.
• Can Iranians use VPNs to bypass the digital blockade? Ordinary VPNs are completely ineffective against the current firewall, leaving only a few thousand state-approved users with international access.

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