After 88 days of near-total blackout, Iran's internet showed signs of life on Tuesday, with live metrics indicating a partial restoration of connectivity. President Masoud Pezeshkian had ordered the reopening of international internet access, but an Iranian court swiftly moved to block the measure, leaving citizens in a state of legal and digital uncertainty.
The Administrative Justice Court, which handles public complaints against government bodies, issued an interim injunction on Tuesday halting enforcement of the document that established the Special Committee for Organising and Managing Cyberspace. The court accepted complaints seeking annulment of the committee's founding document and placed the case on an expedited review track. This judicial intervention has cast doubt on whether the restoration will be sustained.
Conflicting Signals from Tehran
Iranian media reported Monday that the Headquarters for the Steering and Regulation of Cyberspace, chaired by First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref, had approved restoring the internet to its status before January 2026. President Pezeshkian also instructed the minister of communications to reopen access to the international internet, according to reports. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani expressed hope that the internet would be restored within days.
However, the situation remains fluid. Ehsan Chitsaz, deputy for policy-making and planning for ICT development at the Ministry of Communications, stated that connections to the international internet would be established within minutes and that everyone would be connected within 24 hours. Yet NetBlocks, the internet monitoring organisation, reported that despite claims of reconnection, people inside Iran remain cut off from the network.
Vice-President Aref posted on X that "the first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken," adding that the reopening would facilitate smart services, meet public demands, and remove barriers to knowledge-based development. The CITNA news agency reported that fixed-line internet is being reconnected following Pezeshkian's order.
The blackout, the longest in Iran's history, has had significant economic and social repercussions. It has also drawn attention from European capitals, where concerns about digital rights and the impact on global internet governance are growing. The European Union has previously condemned internet shutdowns in Iran, and the situation may influence ongoing discussions about digital sovereignty and sanctions.
For European readers, the Iranian internet crisis underscores broader debates about state control of cyberspace and the fragility of global connectivity. As the EU navigates its own digital policies, including the Digital Services Act and efforts to counter disinformation, the Iranian case serves as a stark reminder of how quickly access can be severed. The partial restoration, if sustained, could offer a glimpse of how international pressure and domestic politics interact in the digital age.
Meanwhile, the legal limbo in Iran contrasts with developments elsewhere. In Europe, the German business sentiment unexpectedly rose despite energy market strains linked to the Iran conflict, highlighting the continent's resilience. The EU has also delayed sanctions on Patriarch Kirill despite a policy shift in Hungary, showing the complex interplay of geopolitics and energy security.
As Iranians wait for clarity, the world watches whether the court will uphold the suspension or allow the internet to fully return. For now, the flicker of connectivity offers hope, but the legal battle is far from over.
