Iran eases internet curbs after ceasefire with Israel

Iranian authorities on Wednesday announced the gradual easing of internet restrictions imposed during the 12-day conflict with Israel, following the implementation of a ceasefire between the longtime foes.

Strict internet curbs had been gradually imposed since June 13, when Israel launched a major attack on Iran, which hit back with waves of missile strikes. A ceasefire that came into force on Tuesday appears to be holding.

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“The communication network is gradually returning to its previous state,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ cyber unit said in a statement carried by state media.

It said Israel had waged a “widespread cyber war” with the goal of disrupting digital services and “abusing the network infrastructure to collect information and intensify the aggression.”

Iran’s communications minister, Sattar Hashemi, also said in a post on X: “With the normalization of conditions, the state of communication access has returned to its previous conditions.”

Israel’s attack on Iran targeted Iranian nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists.

Even before the conflict, Iranian authorities had internet restrictions in place especially on popular social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and others.

Iranians have over the years grown accustomed to using virtual private networks, or VPNs, to bypass internet restrictions.

In December, Iran’s top council responsible for safeguarding the internet voted to lift a ban on the popular messaging application WhatsApp.

On Wednesday, WhatsApp appeared to be still blocked in Iran, only accessible through VPN services.

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