Iran Enforces Extended Internet Blackout Amid Nationwide Protests and Crackdown

Iran imposed a near-total internet blackout in response to widespread anti-government protests that began in December, causing internet traffic to drop by 90 percent within half an hour. The shutdown has lasted over eight days, exceeding the duration of the 2019 blackout, and continues despite a decline in protests after a violent crackdown. Human rights groups report thousands of deaths and arrests during the unrest, while the outage restricts information flow and isolates Iranians internationally.