The Iranian economy is facing a catastrophic digital isolation as a nationwide internet shutdown enters its 45th day, marking the longest blackout on record, according to data from NetBlocks.
The Financial Times reports that the outage, triggered by U.S. and Israeli military strikes, has reduced connectivity to just 1% of ordinary levels—a move the FT describes as the regime silencing a "population of 90mn whom they claim to serve."
This shutdown follows a similar 20-day blackout during anti-regime protests in January, leaving the country’s digital infrastructure in shambles. Majid Khakpour, head of Tehran’s internet businesses trade association, warned that roughly 10 million people employed directly or indirectly by online businesses are now "under threat."
The economic fallout is being felt most acutely by small-scale entrepreneurs interviewed by the FT. Ahmad, a Tehran bookseller who used WhatsApp and Telegram to reach customers, was forced to fire three staff members.
“We’re doing everything ourselves, from start to finish,” Ahmad told the FT, noting that his sales have plummeted from ten books a day to just a couple a week. “And that’s even if we manage to sell three books a week.”
Similarly, Farnaz, a fashion designer, has seen her online customer base vanish, selling only three dresses in several weeks. For educators like Mahshid, an English tutor, income has dropped to nearly zero as students either cannot commute under bombardments or have gone offline entirely.
While Tehran has attempted to migrate the population to its National Information Network (NIN), business owners say the government-backed messaging platforms are "buggy" and overwhelmed.
After a fragile two-week ceasefire, Ahmad sent mass SMS alerts begging customers to switch to homegrown apps, but found that "you can’t upload photos easily and working on them is very challenging."
Nima Namdari, a Tehran-based digital economy analyst, told the FT that many users refuse to adopt these services due to "confidentiality" concerns. Furthermore, Namdari noted that because local startups depend on a "vast array of foreign services and SaaS tools run on the global cloud," the ability to provide support or improve products has dropped "to zero."
The blockade is being enforced through an aggressive crackdown on "contraband" technology.
The FT reports that authorities have confiscated hundreds of Starlink terminals and arrested dozens of people, with police in the holy city of Qom reporting 10 arrests on Monday alone. Use of the satellite service is now punishable by up to two years in prison, as the regime threatens to prosecute anyone using the internet to leak footage to overseas media.
For many, the toll is deeply personal; Peyman, an avid gamer, described the isolation as "totally depressing" after being cut off from his global network for over 40 days.
“I haven’t been in touch with my team for 40-plus days now... It weighs on my mind,” he told the FT.
Despite claims from Deputy Communications Minister Ehsan Chitsaz that the restrictions "helped maintain the stability of domestic communications," the lack of a restoration timeline from government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani leaves 85% of the population in a state of digital and economic paralysis.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
