On February 28, the day US-Israeli strikes began, Iran's internet traffic dropped to approximately one percent of normal levels and has stayed there. [1] The New York Times reported on March 18 that the government has maintained a near-total blackout for its 92 million citizens across three weeks of war. [2] NetBlocks confirmed the shutdown entered its twentieth day on March 19 with no restoration in sight. [3]

The current shutdown dwarfs prior precedents. The Economic Times reported that Iran had spent 240 hours in blackout since January 1 — roughly one-third of the year. [4] Human Rights Watch called it a violation of international law that silences civilian voices when documentation of the war's human cost matters most. [5] Iran International reported that authorities have tightened further, targeting VPN connections and hunting Starlink terminal users. [6]

Ninety million people cannot call out. The war's Iranian civilian story is being told by people who escaped the blackout — not those living inside it.

-- DAVID CHEN, Beijing