Iranian authorities imposed an 88-day near-total internet blackout beginning January 8, 2026, in response to nationwide protests over economic collapse, with connectivity dropping below 5% of normal levels; the shutdown intensified after U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28 and ended with partial restoration in late May following President Masoud Pezeshkian’s order. Monitoring groups documented the longest recorded national outage, relying on BGP withdrawals, traffic throttling, and a shift toward whitelisted domestic networks. As of September 2026, access remains restricted with persistent blocks on major platforms, while lawmakers advance a new cyberspace regulation bill aimed at formalizing tighter controls and a national information network. Trader consensus on future total blackouts by late-2026 dates reflects the economic costs of prior shutdowns, the precedent of gradual reconnection amid de-escalation, and risks tied to renewed protests or security escalations.