ISTANBUL 

Iran's government-imposed internet blackout has so far lasted 288 hours, making it one of the most severe "government-imposed nationwide internet shutdowns on record globally," according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks.

The organization also noted that this disruption is “the second-longest registered in Iran after the January protests” in the country, with Iran having effectively spent a third of 2026 offline.

Tensions escalated after Israel and the US launched joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, which have so far reportedly killed around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and several Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

Iran also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz around March 1. The strategic waterway normally handles about 20 million barrels of oil shipments daily and roughly 20% of the global liquefied natural gas trade.