An Iranian woman walks next an anti-American mural to near the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday. The Internet has been restored for some Iranians after an 88-day-blackout. Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA
May 26 (UPI) -- Iran restored global Internet access to some of its people Tuesday ending a blackout that has lasted 88 days and caused thousands to lose their jobs.
NetBlocks, which tracks Internet freedom, posted on X: "Confirmed: Live metrics show a partial restoration to Internet connectivity in #Iran on day 88, after 2,093 hours of near-total isolation from international networks, the longest nationwide Internet shutdown in modern history. It is unclear if the restoration will be sustained."
Iranian officials mentioned the return of Gmail inside Iran as the first sign that the change had begun. The block is one of the longest-running national Internet shutdowns ever recorded.
The restoration was first noticed at about 3:30 p.m. local time in Tehran. Iranian digital rights activists and Internet monitors reported a small bump in traffic to Iran, with multiple Internet service providers allowing users to connect. These appeared to include residential fiber networks in Tehran and some mobile providers.
