Internet Returns to Iran After Three Months, but Users Report Heavy Filtering and Blocked Apps: 'Too Early to Say the Shutdown Is Over'

An Iranian man speaks on his mobile phone as others stop at a bakery along a street in Tehran on May 25, 2026 (Credit: Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

Internet access has begun returning across Iran after a shutdown that lasted nearly three months, though users and monitoring groups say connectivity remains unstable, heavily filtered and subject to continued restrictions.

NetBlocks, an internet monitoring organization, said Iran's overall connectivity had recovered to about 86% of pre-shutdown levels, while internet traffic, a measure of actual data usage, remained closer to 40%, according to analysis firm Kentik, both reported by The Associated Press.