FRANCISZEK JÓZEF BESZŁEJ

TVP World

Iran’s authorities are planning to make an internet shutdown indefinite, digital rights watchdog Filterwatch has found.

The reported shift towards internet isolation follows weeks of unrest and a nationwide internet blackout that began on January 8. 

Protests have since diminished after a violent crackdown. U.S.-based rights group HRANA said more than 3,300 people have been killed and over 24,000 arrested or placed under review in the violent suppression of protests that have posed the biggest challenge to the Iranian regime since the 1979 revolution.

Absolute Digital Isolation

In a report published on Thursday, the London-based Filterwatch said the Islamic Republic has abandoned its long-standing practice of filtering websites and platforms, opting instead for “absolute digital isolation”. 

Under the reported plan, most users would be cut off from the global internet entirely, and limited access would be granted only to individuals or institutions that receive security approval.

Filterwatch said the strategy is being implemented through a sealed national intranet. External connectivity would operate on a strict “white list”, allowing access only to approved services and users.

State-linked media and government officials have indicated the restrictions are not temporary. Filterwatch cited comments attributed to government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani suggesting that unrestricted international access will not return before March 2026 and would never fully revert to previous levels. Iran’s Tabnak news agency has issued similar warnings.

Immediate aftermath

Filterwatch said enforcement of the new policy has already led to major consequences. It reported that the chief executive of Irancell, one of Iran’s largest mobile operators, was dismissed after allegedly delaying orders to cut connectivity.

The watchdog also said the Iranian authorities are intensifying efforts to block satellite internet services such as Starlink, including deploying advanced traffic inspection tools to detect virtual private networks. 

It added that restrictions are extending beyond Iran’s borders, with some users reporting that Iranian mobile roaming data abroad remains routed through censored domestic networks.

According to Filterwatch, the economic impact has been immediate. The group reported a collapse in online commerce, citing logistics data showing daily shipments at a major private courier firm falling from hundreds of thousands to just a few hundred after the shutdowns.