The Islamic Republic of Iran has plunged its populace into an unprecedented digital darkness, severing internet access nationwide amidst escalating conflict with Israel. This drastic measure has isolated over 90 million citizens from the global community, rendering them blind and deaf to the unfolding realities of war and internal repression. The blackout, initiated on Wednesday, June 18, and continuing through Thursday, June 19, marks one of the most significant and widespread communication interruptions ever imposed by the regime.
This profound isolation is detailed in a report by Divan Shirazi, published on Liberation, which sheds light on the harrowing experiences of ordinary Iranians. As the sounds of war intensify across Tehran and other cities—marked by fighter jets, drones, explosions, and air defense systems—a more profound terror takes hold: the fear of the unknown. Without access to external information or the ability to communicate, citizens are left to grapple with rumors and a pervasive sense of helplessness, desperately seeking any fragment of news in a void of silence.
The internet cut has had immediate and devastating consequences. In one stark instance, an Israeli warning for civilians to evacuate a targeted neighborhood in Rasht, northern Iran, went unheard due to the blackout. Just an hour later, the district was bombed, leaving residents trapped and vulnerable. This deliberate suppression of information transforms the already terrifying reality of war into an unbearable ordeal characterized by silent suffering and unchecked state actions.
For many, the current internet shutdown is not merely an inconvenience but a profound trauma. Kaveh, a 44-year-old IT engineer in Tehran, managed to secure a fleeting, weak connection, only to confirm the unprecedented scale of this disruption compared to previous cuts during times of unrest, such as the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests or the 2019 fuel price demonstrations. Parisa, 25, a professional in advertising, articulates a chilling sentiment: the internet cut is more terrifying than the sound of airstrikes, recalling how the restoration of the internet in 2019 revealed 1,500 deaths under the veil of a similar blackout. The pervasive fear is that, in this enforced silence, brutal repression is already underway.
Indeed, signs suggest these fears are well-founded. The regime has accelerated arrests of dissidents, with prominent rapper Toomaj Salehi among those recently detained and interrogated. Reports of other arrests, including a Kurdish civil rights activist and even executions, circulate amidst scattered information, hinting at a systematic crackdown. Individuals have reportedly been arrested simply for sharing critical stories on social media, underscoring the regime’s use of the blackout to operate with impunity.
The human cost of this isolation is immense. Elmira, a 28-year-old sports coach, returned to Tehran briefly only to find deserted streets patrolled by plainclothes security agents, leading to her repeated detention and interrogation. The sudden, complete communication blackout left her unable to navigate or contact her family, fostering a chilling sense that the state’s focus had shifted to hunting perceived spies. Sara, a 32-year-old doctoral student, describes empty streets and closed shops, with cafes becoming vital hubs for sharing scarce, often false, information. The inability to verify news has led to bewildering cycles of hope and despair, with rumors of peace agreements and leadership changes quickly debunked.
The desperation to connect with the outside world is palpable. A 35-year-old doctor recounted spending a fortune to make a brief international call, just eighty seconds, to assure his family abroad of his safety. Meanwhile, Yasi, a 37-year-old commercial director, endured a week-long ordeal to escape Iran, navigating canceled flights and treacherous journeys to the Turkish border, all while witnessing Israeli airstrikes flatten homes in her neighborhood. Her journey out was fraught with the terror of losing contact with her brother, who accompanied her to the border, and the agonizing uncertainty of his fate as cities along her escape route were subsequently bombed. The internet blackout has not only silenced a nation; it has also silenced a nation. Still, it has also deepened the profound human tragedy of a country at war, leaving its people in a state of terrifying, isolated vulnerability.
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