Iran imposed a near-total internet blackout Wednesday evening, disconnecting from the global web as Israeli airstrikes continued for a sixth day and concerns grew over internal leaks and cyber infiltration.

Nationwide Blackout Severs Global Communications

At around 5:30 p.m. local time, Iran’s connection to the global internet dropped to just 3%, according to the Internet Outage Detection and Analysis (IODA) project at Georgia Tech. While partial service briefly resumed later in the evening, the outage returned almost immediately, severing contact for millions of Iranians.

The blackout follows earlier warnings from Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which reported Tuesday night that Iran would proactively disconnect from the global internet, relying instead on its tightly controlled national intranet.

Tehran Cites Cyber Threats, Israeli Covert Activity

Iranian officials claim the restrictions were implemented to prevent Israeli cyberattacks and to disrupt possible ongoing covert operations. Government sources told The New York Times on Tuesday that intelligence agencies believe Israeli operatives remain active inside Iran—though the claim remains unverified.

In the days leading up to the blackout, internet access had already declined by about 10%, according to connectivity experts. Phone service has also become increasingly unreliable.

Civilian Impact: Alerts, Communication Severed

The move has left Iranians with few ways to access international news, social media, or even basic emergency notifications. Analysts warn the blackout could hinder access to evacuation warnings, including those issued by the Israeli military on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.

Residents also report difficulty reaching loved ones across cities. "We can’t even call our family five blocks away,” one Tehran resident said.

Messaging Apps Targeted Amid Information Crackdown

Amid the blackout, Iranian state media accused WhatsApp of spying on users for Israel and advised people to delete the app. WhatsApp, owned by Meta, denied the allegation, calling it “false and dangerous disinformation.”

The messaging platform is one of the few still accessible through VPNs, though connection quality varies widely.