TEHRAN – Iran's nationwide internet shutdown has persisted for 46 consecutive days as of April 14, 2026, severely limiting connectivity for approximately 92 million people and incurring estimated daily economic losses of up to $80 million. The prolonged disruption, which has been described by monitoring groups as the longest national-scale internet blackout on record, is widely seen as a governmental effort to control information and suppress dissent amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions and internal protests.
The blackout intensified following US-Israel strikes in late February, though initial restrictions began in January during widespread protests. According to NetBlocks, a global internet monitor, connectivity to the global internet has remained at approximately 1% of pre-war levels since February 28. This near-total disconnection leaves most Iranian citizens reliant on a limited, state-controlled intranet known as the National Information Network (NIN).
The economic toll of the shutdown is substantial. Iranian official Afshin Kolahi estimated that the combined direct and indirect economic impact ranges between $70 million and $80 million per day. Direct losses alone are reported to be between $30 million and $40 million daily, a figure corroborated by earlier statements from the Iranian Minister of Communications, Sattar Hashemi, who cited daily losses of around $35.7 million. This has crippled online businesses, with some reports indicating an 80% fall in online sales.
Critics, including human rights organizations, assert that the government's primary motivation for the internet shutdown is to control the narrative and prevent information about internal events, including alleged massacres during protests, from reaching the outside world. As Van Jones stated in a recent tweet, "> It's been more than 45 days since Iran's internet went dark. And the Iranian regime is burning through MILLIONS per day to keep 92 million people offline. Why spend so much to silence your own country? Because when you control the internet, you control the story. When a government won't let its OWN PEOPLE speak, question the narrative the outside world is hearing."
The Iranian government has historically used internet blackouts to suppress protests, and the current situation is no exception. While authorities cite national security and cyber-attack threats, the impact on civilians is profound, hindering access to critical information, emergency services, and communication with family abroad. Efforts to circumvent the blackout, such as through VPNs or smuggled Starlink terminals, are often expensive, legally risky, and largely ineffective against a near-total shutdown.
