For 87 days, roughly 90 million people lived almost without access to the internet. Then, on May 26, 2026, data monitors saw something change. Traffic from Iran began to grow. People were coming back online after nearly three months of darkness.
The shutdown started on February 28, the same day US and Israeli forces attacked Iran. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989, was reported killed in the strikes. As the fighting happened, Iran's connection to the world went dark. At times, connectivity fell to just 1 to 4 percent of normal levels. The country was limited to a state-controlled domestic network called the "filternet."
The monitoring group NetBlocks called it the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history. On May 25, President Masoud Pezeshkian, elected in 2024, approved reconnecting the internet. The vote passed even though hardliners opposed it.
However, the returned internet was not the same. The traffic level was still only two-fifths of normal. Filtering systems stayed active. Many users still needed VPNs to reach the open web. WhatsApp remained restricted. Instagram and YouTube stayed blocked or slow.
The economic cost was huge. Estimates said the damage was roughly 30 to 80 million dollars per day. For ordinary Iranians, returning online came with doubt and caution. They wondered if the connection would last. Monitors warned that the restoration might not continue. For now, after 87 days, Iranians are slowly reconnecting.