BBC: Iranians Breathe A Sigh Of Relief

28.05.2026, 13:54
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The internet has returned to the country.

"After 88 days, it felt as if a prisoner had been released after three months of imprisonment and was seeing the sky for the first time."

That's how one Iranian said he felt, reconnecting connecting to the internet after his government ended what observers called the longest shutdown of an entire country in history, reports BBC.

"You won't believe it, but when I went to the website and saw it open, I felt like I could fly with joy," he told the BBC's Middle East Daily program. - And when I realized that I could send messages through Telegram, WhatsApp and other apps again, it was just an incredible feeling."

"Even now, when I speak, I get tears of happiness," the interviewee added.

He said the first notification on his phone asked him to update a long list of apps, which made him emotional.

Although the partial restoration of connectivity in Iran has brought relief, there are also concerns about increased censorship in a country where internet access was already tightly restricted and controlled.

The Iranian government blocked internet access after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. Officials said the measure was aimed at preventing surveillance, espionage and cyberattacks.

On Tuesday, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref wrote in X that the government had taken the first step toward "free and regulated" internet access in line with a directive from President Masoud Pezeshkian.

He attributed the reopening of the internet to the restoration of "smart services" services and meeting the demands of citizens who "supported the system and Iran," while presenting it as a prerequisite for scientific and intellectual development.

Another Iranian told Middle East Daily that although some users still have no access to the network and some platforms remain blocked, "the very fact that the internet is back is a reason to rejoice."

"The three months during which the internet was down was incredibly difficult - It was very hard not being able to contact our family and friends outside Iran."

"We knew how worried they were, especially during the war, but we couldn't even reassure them by telling them we were safe," he says.

For those who make their living online, the return to the sites and apps they depended on before the war was a relief.

"I'm very happy that the Internet will be restored because it will allow businesses to get back to normal," the Panthea computer science student told the Associated Press.

"I had an online store for a while and I sold products there. It will definitely benefit us," she told the Associated Press. - The only problem is censorship. If they found a good and proper solution to that problem, a lot of problems would be solved."

Rustin, who also studies computer science, told the AP that the end of the Internet shutdown is "100 percent a positive development."

"The Internet market is eager to get back on track," he said. - But this social persecution that continues to take place is causing significant damage to online businesses."

This is not the first time Iran has experienced an internet blackout: access was also blocked during security forces' brutal crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests in January.

Some Iranians have tried to circumvent the blockage by using expensive VPN services and smuggled satellite internet systems.

International internet monitoring service NetBlocks says that as access to the web has been restored, there are signs of "more extensive filtering" than what it observed in January.

"Access is still heavily filtered, with new restrictions on messaging and app stores introduced compared to before January. Calls for a free and open internet transcend political differences and must be heeded," NetBlocks said.

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BBC: Iranians Breathe A Sigh Of Relief

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