It’s been a banner week for internet freedom, if you’re nostalgic for Cold War-era isolationism and have a soft spot for state-run dial-up networks. As if the Iranian regime’s usual censorship toolkit wasn’t dusty and overflowing enough, Tehran decided to slam the doors shut on what little remained of its citizens’ connection to the outside world. The excuse? A good old-fashioned “cyberthreat.”
Because nothing screams “defense strategy” like switching off half the country’s routers and hoping for the best.
At the center of this bureaucratic unplugging spree is Fateme Mohajerani, a government spokesperson who assured the public through the soothing tones of machine-translated state TV that the blackout was “temporary, targeted, and controlled.” Sure. And Iran’s elections are “competitive,” their judiciary is “independent,” and everyone just loves standing in line for hours to get rationed bread.
The timing wasn’t exactly subtle. On June 12th, Israel launched a strike that reignited tensions with Tehran, and — like clockwork — the Iranian government did what it does best: panic internally and take it out on the public. Within days, internet access went from shaky to near-nonexistent. Messaging platforms vanished. Navigation tools disappeared. Cell networks dropped faster than trust in government press releases.
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