PARIS: Iran’s internet is still “around 1 percent of ordinary levels,” monitor Netblocks said on Thursday, leaving most Iranians struggling to access independent news or communicate with the outside world.
Iranian authorities shut off internet access on Saturday after Israel and the US began air strikes, plunging the country into an information blackout.
“Iran’s internet blackout has now exceeded 120 hours with connectivity still flatlining around 1 percent of ordinary levels,” internet monitor Netblocks said in a message posted on social media platform X on Thursday.
Some Iranians are finding brief moments of the day when they are able to connect and send messages, while others have resorted to using illegal Starlink subscriptions. Calls to Iran from overseas to mobile phones or landlines are near-impossible.
“The internet speed is very slow,” a Tehran resident said by message, asking to remain anonymous for security reasons. “You can’t call and voice messages don’t get delivered. We can just text.”
