Monitor says internet down again in Iran after brief restoration
Internet access was down again in Iran after a brief restoration of limited services, a monitor said.
“As of internet shutdown hour 240, traffic levels have fallen after a brief, heavily filtered restoration of select Google and messaging services in Iran,” Netblocks said on X.
“During this time, some Iranians were able to give updates detailing the severity of the crisis on the ground,” it added.
It had earlier reported some internet access had been restored in Iran 238 hours after authorities imposed a shutdown on January 8 over mounting protests.
“Traffic data indicate a significant return to some online services including Google, suggesting that heavily filtered access has been enabled, corroborating user reports of partial restoration,” Netblocks said earlier.
CEO of Iranian telecom operator fired for failing to block internet
The chief executive of Irancell, Iran’s second-largest mobile phone operator, was dismissed for failing to comply with the government’s decision to shut down the internet, the Fars news agency reported.
In an unprecedented move, Iran cut off all communications on January 8 without warning, as calls intensified for anti-government protests, initially sparked by the economic crisis.
Access to the internet has been virtually impossible in Iran since then, although restrictions began to ease Sunday for some foreign websites, such as Google.
“Alireza Rafiei was removed from the position of CEO of the company after about a year of activity,” Fars reported.
“Irancell disobeyed the orders of the decision-making institutions in implementing the announced policies regarding the restriction of internet access in crisis situations,” the agency said.
Attack on Khamenei would be ‘tantamount to all-out war’, Iran’s president says
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said that in a post on X that any attack on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be “tantamount to all-out war”.
US President Donald Trump told US News site Politico on Saturday that it was “time to look for new leadership in Iran”, calling Khamenei “a sick man”.
Activists warn Iran’s internet shutdown could be ‘permanent’
Iran is 10 days into an internet blackout that rights groups say is intended to prevent further protests and conceal the regime’s deadly crackdown.
What happens now is unclear. While Iranian digital activists are warning the blackout may become “permanent”, local media are reporting that the authorities are considering a gradual return to the internet.
FRANCE 24’s technology editor Peter O’Brien unpacks what we know.
Arrested protester Erfan Soltani is alive, family says (FRANCE 24)
26-year-old protester Erfan Soltani is alive. Iranian authorities said on January 15 that he would not be sentenced to death, although his family had feared the worst.
FRANCE 24 has been able to contact Soltani’s relatives, who have since been allowed to visit him in prison.
Tehran considers ‘gradually’ restoring internet access, Iranian news agency says
Iranian authorities have said they are considering “gradually” restoring internet access after imposing a sweeping communications shutdown across the country more than a week ago, local media reported.
On Sunday morning, AFP was able to connect to the internet from its Tehran office, though the vast majority of internet providers and mobile internet remain cut.
It was not immediately clear why the limited connection was possible.
Outgoing international calls have been possible since Tuesday, and text messaging was restored Saturday morning.
Late Saturday, the Tasnim news agency reported “the relevant authorities announced that internet access would also be gradually restored”, but gave no further details.
Citing an unnamed “informed source”, the agency said local messaging applications “will soon be activated” on Iran’s domestic intranet.
Watch more: Iranian women on the frontline
Women activists and youth campaigners are at the forefront of the struggle, seeking to chart a new course for the nation after decades of repressive rule under the Islamic Republic.
At least 5,000 people have been killed in Iran protests, official says
An Iranian official in the region said on Sunday the authorities had verified at least 5,000 people had been killed in protests in Iran, including about 500 security personnel, blaming “terrorists and armed rioters” for killing “innocent Iranians”.
The official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, also told Reuters some of the heaviest clashes and highest number of deaths were in the Iranian Kurdish areas in northwest Iran, a region where Kurdish separatists have been active and where flare-ups have been among the most violent in past periods of unrest.
Good morning, and welcome to our liveblog on the developments in Iran.