After three months of interruption, the Iranian regime “partially” restored access to the Internet this week on the orders of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, thus putting an end to the longest outage ever recorded across an entire country.
Already interrupted during the major demonstrations against the Islamic Republic which peaked at the beginning of January, access to the international Internet network was cut again on February 28, at the start of the American and Israeli strikes against Iran.
Masoud Pezeshkian’s decision has reignited dissension within the regime between reformers and conservatives. Although, in reality, the connection remains very uneven.
“Will of the people†or “discord message…
The government said it made its decision based on “credible polls†carried out by the authorities, showing that “free access to the Internet was among the main demands†of the population, according to a press release published by the media Asr-e Iran. An Iranian vice-president said that “only 9 % of the population†was in favor of Internet restrictions.
In the conservative camp, the partial restoration of the connection aroused strong criticism. This decision is “strange and questionable†, thus estimates the ultraconservative newspaper Hamshahri. Elle “disrupts the unified command of the country in a war situation and sends a message of discord and plurality of voices to the enemy [au sein du régime] as for the management of the crisis… indicates the daily newspaper of the municipality of Tehran.
Criticisms relayed by state television, which the government accuses of “openly oppose popular demands and flout the will of the people†, describing this attitude as “worrying and likely to fuel divisions and discordâ€.
More broadly, the regime’s “hardliners” consider social networks – notably Instagram and Telegram, accessible through a virtual private network (VPN) which allows restrictions to be circumvented – as instruments of the enemy, intended to overthrow the regime.
A connection to the “dropperâ€
“Internet users have expressed fears that struggles between political factions and attacks by radicals against the government will continue to severely restrict access to the Internet, jeopardizing any return to normal… observe for his part BBC Persian.
Because, in reality, the restoration of the Internet is only partial. Access is carried out “drip feed, with restrictions, filters, reduced flow rates and severe disruptions†, reports the opposition media Independent Persian.
According to the NGO NetBlocks, “the service remains heavily filtered, with new restrictions on messaging services and app portals compared to before Januaryâ€.
“In the last three months, we have been virtually wiped out: the Internet shutdown caused online sales to plummet, while prices increased every day. And even today, the connection remains so limited that it does not even allow Telegram and Instagram to be opened correctly… deplores an Internet user.
“Due to the prolonged outages, it will take a few days for the quality of services to improve and international traffic to resume, so please be patient… declared a deputy minister of Communications, quoted by the reformist daily Shargh.
But the restoration of the Internet is not a return to normal. “Contrary to the image that the state media seek to convey, that of a return to calm and a normalization of the situation, Persian-speaking social networks remain marked by anger, despair, mourning and a deep feeling of abandonment… écrit Independent Persian.
“What’s the point of reconnecting? The 40,000 people who were killed can no longer connect or express themselves… launches an Internet user quoted by the Persian-speaking site based in London, in reference to the number of victims of the January demonstrations.
