WASHINGTON -- After 88 days of digital isolation, described by NetBlocks as the “longest nationwide Internet shutdown in modern history,” Iran has begun partially restoring Internet access as negotiations with Washington continue amid renewed military pressure in the Gulf.To unpack what Tehran’s partial digital reopening means, and whether current talks can evolve into a sustainable cease-fire, RFE/RL spoke with Charles Dunne, a former senior US diplomat and national-security official who spent over 24 years in government service, including as director for Iraq at the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration.RFE/RL: Iran has partially restored global Internet access after 88 days of shutdown. From a strategic standpoint, does this reopening suggest the regime believes it has contained internal unrest, or is it more an economic concession aimed at preventing deeper commercial collapse?Charles Dunne: It may be a little bit of both, but I read it primarily as an indication that the regime is feeling more confident at the moment in having weathered the US and Israeli onslaught. It came at the cost of great destruction to their military and to many civilian targets as well, but they have weathered it, and they did not see a massive uprising during this period against the government.I think they also feel the negotiations are now probably moving in their direction. Everything is now on the table, including the future of their nuclear program, rather than the earlier calls for unconditional surrender. So I see this more as an indication that they are confident enough to restore some level of connectivity so people can see what’s going on. Much of the news may actually bolster the regime in the eyes of the population. At the same time, the economic impact of the shutdown has been considerable. Iranian businesses need Internet access in order to function, so that is certainly a factor as well.RFE/RL: Iran’s economy remains under intense strain. If Tehran is reopening access partly to keep domestic commerce alive, how does that economic vulnerability affect its leverage in negotiations with Washington?Dunne: The economic impacts are very severe for the average Iranian. Inflation is out of control, imports are tightly restricted, exports are constrained, and the rial is unstable. Ordinary people are suffering significantly.