Iran's Internet is partially restored, Cloudflare Radar data shows (opens in new tab)
Cloudflare Radar data indicates that Iran’s Internet access began a partial restoration on May 26, after nearly three months of near-total shutdown following the February 28 military strikes. Traffic and DNS activity increased significantly, but remained far below normal levels, and the recovery could still be temporary. IPv6 connectivity remains effectively absent. ## Iran’s Two Internet Shutdowns - The first nationwide shutdown began on January 8, with traffic falling nearly to zero. - Limited connectivity briefly returned on January 21 and January 25 before recovering more substantially on January 27. - A second shutdown began on February 28 as military strikes escalated. - Traffic dropped to less than 1% of previous levels and stayed there for nearly three months. ## Signs of Partial Restoration - Around 11:00 UTC on May 26, Cloudflare observed sharp increases in traffic and DNS queries. - Transferred data briefly spiked at 11:45 UTC and then rose steadily from 12:00 UTC. - Traffic reached roughly 15 times the levels recorded during the previous week. - Activity followed expected daily patterns, declining around 21:00 UTC before rising again the following morning. - Increased DNS queries suggested that more users were successfully attempting to access websites and online services. ## Tehran and Major Providers Lead the Recovery - Tehran accounted for 91.6% of HTTP requests during the increase. - Other regions experienced only modest gains. - Traffic increased across several major providers, including: - TCI - IranCell - RighTel - MCCI ## Connectivity Remains Well Below Normal - Peak traffic on May 26 reached only about 40% of the maximum activity recorded in 2026 before the disruptions. - Future measurements will determine whether connectivity returns to pre-shutdown levels. - The January shutdown demonstrated that temporary restorations can quickly disappear. ## IPv6 Is Still Unavailable - Announced IPv6 address space from Iran remains effectively at zero. - IPv4 announcements have stayed relatively stable throughout both shutdowns. - This contrast suggests the disruptions were likely implemented through mechanisms such as application filtering or whitelisting rather than by withdrawing IPv4 routes from global networks. The data supports cautious optimism: Iranian users are regaining some Internet access, particularly in Tehran and through major providers, but service remains incomplete and potentially unstable. Continued monitoring is necessary to determine whether this is a lasting restoration.