“Iranian authorities shut down the Internet during unprecedented protests against the government, there are deaths and arrests”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Iranians block a street during a protest in Kermanshah, Iran, on January 8, 2026. Photo: Kamran / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images Source: CBS News citing sources in Tehran and the monitoring organization NetBlocks
Details: NetBlocks said that, according to their data, “Iran is currently in a state of nationwide internet blackout; this incident is the result of a series of intensified digital censorship measures aimed at protests across the country, and restricts the public’s right to communicate at a critical time.”
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One CBS News source in the capital said “huge crowds have gathered in Tehran. It’s unprecedented,” and confirmed that the internet was down for most of the city’s residents.
It added that some people with more secure business accounts could still use the internet.
Subsequently, this source became unavailable, indicating further spread of the outage.
There were reports on social media, mostly from anti-government activists, that web services were also down or severely restricted in the cities of Isfahan, Lodegan, Abdanan and some areas of Shiraz.
According to CBS News, the shutdown of the Internet occurred at the moment when Iranians began to take to the streets and shout slogans against the regime, responding to the call of the Iranian prince Reza Pahlavi.
According to the American news agency Human Rights Activists News Agency, as a result of the unrest in Iran, at least 39 people have died, including at least four members of the security services, and more than 2,260 people have been detained.
Iranian authorities regularly restrict or block Internet access when they anticipate major protests or other destabilizing events.
What preceded:
- Mass protests have been ongoing in Iran since December 28. Initially, due to the collapse of the national currency and huge inflation, the traders at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran staged a strike.
- Then the protests covered almost the entire country. After 10 days, two cities in the west of Iran came under the control of the protesters.
- The state news agencies do not recognize the capture of these cities, claiming that the police dispersed the demonstrators.
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei admitted that there are economic problems, but explained them as “the work of the enemy”. He also stated that “it’s useless to talk with rioters” and they “need to be put in their place.”
- On January 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that citizens of Ukraine leave Iran in‘due to the complication of the security situation.