No sign of end to Iranian internet blackout despite regime claims

An Iranian government announcement on Tuesday that an 88-day internet blackout was being brought to an end did not have any immediate noticeable impact, according to internet monitors. It was not clear if technical or political issues were delaying the end of the clampdown, the longest in Iran’s history, which was imposed during brutally suppressed protests in January. Iranian officials pointed to the return of Gmail inside Iran as an initial sign that the long demanded, and trailed, change was being implemented. The ban has cut Iranians – save for a privileged minority – off from the global internet. Fears of mass unemployment and commercial bankruptcy led to the president, Masoud Pezeshkian – who campaigned on the slogan of a free internet – to lobby behind the scenes with security officials for the restrictions to be lifted. A formal announcement was made after a vote by the special taskforce for cyberspace management. Iran’s communications minister, Sattar Hashemi, hailed the decision but said restoring the internet would be a gradual process. He said: “Internet restrictions in recent months have caused significant damage to the digital economy, online businesses, and the country’s service industries. …