Iran's government ended an 88-day nationwide internet shutdown that cut off 90 million people from global communications after the U.S. and Israel launched military action on Feb. 28. The blackout trapped Iranians on a censored domestic network, blocking independent news, business tools, and streaming services. Now connectivity is slowly returning, though the move faces court challenges and remains incomplete.

The economic toll was steep. Businesses lost an estimated $80 million a day, while workers like Hamid, a 29-year-old tech employee in Tehran, described his professional and personal life as "at a standstill." State-approved sites fed a controlled narrative, leaving people like Maryam feeling trapped in an "information black hole." President Masoud Pezeshkian's working group authorized restoration, but a court immediately ordered the process halted.

Not everyone has benefited. Select elites maintained open connections through whitelisting while most citizens went without. Director Fereidoon Bashar of ASL19 said the majority of Iranians likely still can't get online. The shutdown marks the third in a year, following June airstrikes and January protests. For many, reconnecting brought more anxiety than relief, with legal bodies issuing contradictory orders on who controls the final decision.