After three months of a complete internet shutdown – known as the “Iran Digital Blackout” and considered the longest internet outage in contemporary history – internet access is returning. NetBlocks, the global internet monitoring organization, announced on 27th May on its X page that internet access in the country continues, but users still face heavy filtering, and some are unable to access messaging apps such as WhatsApp.

Statistics indicate that internet traffic volume in Iran is slowly increasing and is currently estimated to have reached sixty percent.

With the gradual return of internet services across the country, President Masoud Pezeshkian has announced the creation of a new body to review internet coverage in the country, under the supervision of Mohammad Reza Aref. The body is named the “Special Headquarters for Organizing and Guiding Iran’s Cyberspace.”

Despite the fact that this period of internet outage is similar to previous periods of internet return and easing of restrictions, it is still unclear whether internet access will return to normal or continue in this unstable state.