The internet blackout that has cut off most Iranians from the global web has now entered its eighty-first day, with NetBlocks, the independent monitoring body, recording over 1,920 hours of disruption. Far from a temporary security measure, the shutdown is evolving into a permanent architecture of digital control, as Tehran simultaneously seeks to extend its censorship beyond national borders. The regime has reportedly demanded oversight of foreign internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz and pressed major technology companies to comply with Iranian law, a move that, viewed from Washington, amounts to an extraterritorial assault on the open internet.

The blackout has persisted even after the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States took effect, raising questions about the regime’s priorities. The New York Times has reported that Tehran is using the lull in hostilities to rebuild its ballistic missile arsenal, reopening dozens of launch sites that were targeted in earlier strikes. Mobile launchers are being repositioned and tactics adapted for a potential new round of conflict, according to American military officials. The rebuilding effort, concentrated in deep granite mountain bunkers whose entrances were collapsed by US attacks, suggests that Iran views the ceasefire not as a permanent settlement but as a breathing space to restore deterrence.

At home, signs of strain over internet policy are surfacing within the Iranian establishment. Mohammad Sarafraz, a member of the Supreme Cyberspace Council, told the newspaper Shargh that the decision to cut the internet was not taken by his council, which has not met for nearly a year. He criticised the formation of a new government body for cyberspace, arguing that adding another layer of bureaucracy to an already dysfunctional structure would not resolve the problem. Such internal dissent, rare and carefully phrased, hints at growing unease over the human and economic costs of prolonged disconnection.

Meanwhile, the human toll of the conflict continues. Reports from Iranian media confirm that Hamid Khani, a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed while volunteering with the engineering unit of Khatam al-Anbia headquarters in Tehran. His mission was to defuse unexploded ordnance left from the joint Israeli-American strikes. His death, though presented as a routine accident, serves as a reminder that the conflict’s physical scars are still being counted.

Looking ahead, Iran appears to be pursuing a dual strategy: fortifying its military capabilities and tightening its digital grip, even as the ceasefire reduces external pressure. Analysts in London note that the regime’s attempt to project digital control beyond its borders is unprecedented and likely to provoke countermeasures from international bodies. For ordinary Iranians, the prospect of regaining free access to the internet remains distant, as the government shows no sign of reversing a policy that has already lasted longer than any comparable blackout in modern history.