Iran’s near-total shutdown of the global internet reached 60 days on Tuesday, worsening economic losses and social restrictions as authorities move toward selective access for some users and businesses.
The disruption began on February 28, when connectivity dropped to a fraction of normal levels, according to internet monitor NetBlocks, and has since stretched beyond 1,400 hours with most users still cut off from global networks.
“Exactly two months ago … Iran was thrown into digital darkness,” NetBlocks said, adding that the blackout persists despite limited access for privileged users.
Economic toll runs into billions
The prolonged shutdown has transformed internet access into a central economic constraint, with losses mounting daily across multiple sectors.
Estimates from Iran’s Chamber of Commerce put direct daily losses at $30 million to $40 million, rising to as much as $70 million to $80 million when indirect damage is included.
Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi said the disruption threatens the livelihoods of around 10 million people, pointing to the limited resilience of small and medium-sized businesses.
Zahra Behrouz-Azar, the vice president for women’s affairs, said women have been disproportionately affected, with many home-based businesses collapsing under the restrictions.
“The situation has been imposed like a war, and the damages should not be denied,” Behrouz-Azar said.
Export industries have also struggled to maintain international ties. Mohsen Ehtesham, the head of the National Saffron Council, said exporters had been unable to communicate with overseas clients or verify deliveries.
“Exporters … did not have direct contact with international customers, and could not even confirm whether goods had reached them,” Ehtesham said.
He added the disruption had weakened Iran’s position in global markets and created openings for competitors such as Afghanistan to rebrand Iranian saffron.
Social divide deepens
Beyond the economic toll, the blackout has disrupted daily life and created a two-tier digital reality, with limited access granted to select groups while most Iranians remain cut off.
For younger Iranians, internet access is closely tied to education, identity and social life, making the prolonged shutdown especially disruptive.
The divide has become more visible as officials and connected groups retain access to platforms blocked for ordinary users, while much of the population remains limited to a heavily restricted domestic network.
Human rights groups say such shutdowns restrict access to information, make abuses harder to document and leave crises with less public scrutiny.
‘Internet Pro’ plan fuels backlash
Authorities have sought to manage the fallout by advancing a plan known as “Internet Pro,” which would restore global access for selected businesses and institutions while most users remain restricted.
Under the proposal, approved by the Supreme National Security Council, commercial entities and later industrial sectors would receive connectivity, with officials presenting the measure as a form of economic management.
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said the plan aims to preserve business operations during crisis conditions.
“Internet Pro has been approved … to preserve business connections under current conditions,” Mohajerani said, adding that access could change once authorities declare conditions normal.
The plan has drawn criticism for formalizing unequal access. Reports show some connections have been sold at high prices, prompting judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei to order an investigation, describing the practice as discriminatory and potentially corrupt.
Civil society pushes back
Professional groups and users have rejected the proposal, describing it as institutionalizing digital inequality.
The Iranian Graphic Designers Guild said it would not submit a collective request for the service, calling it an insult and reaffirming the need for open and affordable access for all.
Public reaction has echoed that stance, with users criticizing the idea of restricting connectivity in an era where digital access underpins economic survival and social participation.
At the same time, authorities are accelerating development of domestic infrastructure aimed at reducing reliance on the global internet, a move critics view as enabling longer-term isolation.
The association said in a statement that designers needed internet access amid the continuing shutdown but the IGDS board “decided not to submit such an unfair request to the relevant higher authorities on behalf of all members.”
It said members could apply individually for the service, which it said carries a 10-fold higher tariff and a limited usage cap.
The association said the names of individual applicants would be published on its website for transparency.
It said free and affordable internet access was a public right and urged authorities to restore equal access for all.
“Free and affordable access to the internet is the right of all people, and we expect authorities to restore this right equally for everyone to prevent further losses for graphic designers,” read the statement.
A similar stance was taken by Iran’s nursing organization, which said it would not seek privileged access for its members while the wider public remained under restrictions.
The move comes amid a prolonged nationwide internet shutdown that has severely limited access to global connectivity and hindered communication, and economic activity across Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Islamabad on Saturday, where he met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir as Pakistan continued efforts to mediate between Tehran and Washington.
A Pakistani source involved in the talks told Reuters that Araghchi conveyed Tehran’s demands and concerns about US positions during the visit. Iranian state media also said he delivered Iran’s response to proposals in a meeting with Munir before leaving Islamabad for Oman and Russia.
Iranian officials had earlier said Araghchi had no plan to meet US officials in Pakistan.
Lake, a journalist at The Free Press and host of the Breaking History podcast, told Eye for Iran that the Islamic Republic is seeking negotiations as a lifeline after major military, economic and political setbacks.
“Their backs are against the wall and these negotiations they hope are going to be a lifeline,” Lake said.
But he argued that any renewed diplomatic track should begin with pressure on Tehran over the Iranian people.
“If I was Vice President Vance, I would say… the first thing I’d say is, you need to turn back on the internet if you’re going to get these financial lifelines. You need to release political prisoners,” Lake said.
He added that Washington should also demand an end to executions.
The remarks come as Iran’s internet blackout has entered its 57th day, according to NetBlocks, with international connectivity still largely severed amid worsening conditions inside the country.
Lake said the US should recognize that “our best allies are the Iranian people on the ground,” and warned against strikes on civilian infrastructure such as power plants, saying they would hurt ordinary Iranians more than the Islamic Republic.
The diplomatic maneuvering has also unfolded amid signs of deepening disagreement inside Tehran. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliament speaker, has stepped down as head of Iran’s negotiating team amid internal disputes, with Saeed Jalili floated as a possible replacement and Araghchi seeking greater control of the talks.
Lake said he believes the fractures inside the Islamic Republic are genuine.
“At the end of the day, with enough pressure, they’re probably going to start turning on each other,” he said.
He argued that the Islamic Republic has lost legitimacy and that Iran’s future will ultimately be decided by Iranians themselves.
“You cannot keep these people down,” Lake said..
Judiciary-affiliated media identified him as Erfan Kiani and said his death sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court before being carried out early in the morning.
Authorities said Kiani led a group in the central city of Isfahan that carried out acts including damaging public and private property, setting fires, using Molotov cocktails, blocking roads and attacking security forces during the unrest.
State media described him as a key figure in efforts to create “fear and chaos,” framing the case as part of what officials say is a broader campaign against foreign-backed activity.
The execution comes amid an ongoing crackdown following the January protests, with several people executed in recent weeks on similar charges. Earlier this month, authorities executed two men accused of attempting to storm a military site and access weapons, while another man was put to death over allegations he set fire to a mosque during the unrest.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly raised concerns over the use of capital punishment in protest-related cases, saying defendants are often convicted in unfair trials and based on confessions obtained under duress.
