Iran internet blackout tightens military’s grip on civilian life

Iran’s record internet blackout is emerging as a key dividing line between the country’s powerful security apparatus and its civilian government, underlining how the war with the U.S. has extended the military’s control over daily life.

Top government officials have become increasingly vocal about their opposition to the shutdown, imposed by authorities led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps two months ago, even as they present a united front against Washington during the ongoing ceasefire.

“We absolutely do not accept a tiered internet,” Mohammad Hafez Hakami, an adviser to the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, said on Tuesday, referring to a state initiative that allows a limited number of vetted users online to support the economy.

“The internet has become one of the basic needs of the people and must be recognized as a public right for all citizens,” Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref said last week, calling for restrictions to be lifted.

Iranian authorities blocked access to the web shortly after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against the country in late February. This cut off most Iranians’ ability to communicate with the outside world and severely impaired the operations of local businesses that rely on connectivity.

Despite the economic damage — estimated at $80 million per day by the Chamber of Commerce — the pleas from the civilian government are being overruled by the security services, notably the IRGC, who’ve led the fight against the U.S. and Israel and emerged as the key power broker in what comes next.

The tiered internet system was created on the orders of the Supreme National Security Council, a government spokeswoman said on Tuesday. That council, whose remit ranges from peace talks with the U.S. to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, is now led by hard-line IRGC veteran Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, after his more moderate predecessor Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian — who was elected on a promise to loosen internet restrictions — has a seat on the council, but its membership is dominated by appointees of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who’s seen as close to the guards.

“Debate and disagreement is OK, but ultimately there are a handful of decision-makers, and they’ve chosen to keep the internet shut down despite the effects on business and industry,” said Dina Esfandiary, geoeconomics analyst at Bloomberg Economics. “The real powerbrokers following eight weeks of war, unsurprisingly, are the Guards and the security apparatus.”

The semiofficial Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the IRGC, described via a statement on Telegram that the internet is “the main platform for directing anti-security movements.” Restricting access thwarts “terrorist operations by domestic traitors” by severing their communication with foreign spies, it said, emphasizing that security takes “absolute precedence” over the economic costs of the shutdown.

“Sometimes access is restricted for security reasons to protect people and facilities,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a former member of the IRGC, told NBC News in the first days of the war.

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National network

Iran has long restricted which websites and apps are accessible from inside the country, but the war has fast-tracked its push for domestic alternatives under the purview of the state.

While WhatsApp remains blocked, for example, some Iranians abroad have been able to use the Bale Messenger app, developed by state-owned Bank Melli Iran, to contact family back home. Bale, which means “yes” in Farsi, claims to have 34 million users.

In the absence of international connectivity, Iranians are forced to rely on the National Information Network, a kind of filtered domestic intranet that’s often likened to China’s so-called Great Firewall. Developed together with the IRGC’s intelligence wing, it allows access to local websites and state media as well as some basic services like banking and healthcare, but not foreign apps or websites.

Meanwhile, the risks of trying to bypass state-sanctioned technology are growing.

State media reports of people being arrested for trying to buy and sell internet access or set up Starlink satellite terminals have become routine during the war, often claiming the equipment was being used to communicate with foreign-intelligence services or opposition satellite TV channels.

While government officials acknowledge the limits of their power, they warn that the restrictions risk further alienating citizens already frustrated with life under the Islamic Republic.

“Maintaining security on the battlefield is essential, but preserving the social capital of the people is also part of that security,” Ali Rabiei, the president’s aide on social affairs, said on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, in the tradition of decision-making and national power assessments, the mindset and attitude of society have little place.”