There’s an ongoing, near-total blackout of the internet in Iran. The shutdown is part of a response by the government to ongoing protests against rising inflation and the value of the nation’s currency plummeting.

Activists spent years preparing for a communications blackout in Iran, smuggling in Starlink satellite internet systems and making digital shutdowns harder for the authorities to enforce.

Iran’s nationwide Internet blackout remained largely in place as the reported death toll from recent protests continued to rise, with one account saying the number of fatalities may exceed 30,000.

Weeks into an internet blackout in Iran, NPR speaks to a protester who is still online and a U.S.-based activist who is trying to get more Starlink terminals into the country to get more people online.

Over two weeks since regime cut country off from the global internet, Iranian reports are being optimistic that the blackout won't last much longer, 'otherwise, it will backfire'

The commander of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which was key in putting down recent nationwide protests in a crackdown that left thousands dead, warned that his force is "more ready than ever,