Iran’s President Orders Internet Restoration Amid Power Struggle

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The Fight for Digital Oxygen

The decision to reconnect Iran to the global web has exposed a deep fracture within the nation’s governing institutions. President Pezeshkian, acting in his capacity as head of the Supreme National Security Council, established an emergency committee last week to address the crisis. According to [Annahar](https://www.annahar.com/international/iran/313794/%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%AA-%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%81%D8%AC%D8%B1-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B6%D8%A7-%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%89-%D8%A8%D8%B2%D8%B4%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7), the committee’s first meeting resulted in a nearly unanimous vote to restore service, with only three members voting against the measure. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani and Telecom Minister Sattar Hashemi have both confirmed that the orders to restore service are being implemented. The push comes as a response to rising economic and social demands for connectivity. For officials within the administration, the stakes are not merely technical but existential for a modernizing society.

“The internet is the oxygen of the digital economy, and the artery of hope for the youth, and the pillar of public trust; no nation can connect to the future by disconnecting from the world.”

Ehsan Gitsaz, Assistant Telecom Minister, via Annahar

Institutional Friction: The President vs. The Supreme Council

While the presidency moves to reopen the digital gates, it is meeting stiff resistance from the established cyber hierarchy. The central authority over Iran’s digital space is the [Supreme Council of Cyberspace](https://arabic.cnn.com/middle-east/article/2026/05/26/restoring-irans-internet-exposes-regimes-deep-power-struggles), a body established by decree of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in 2012. The Council consists of 27 influential members, including high-ranking clerics and the head of the judiciary, and is currently subject to United States sanctions. Pezeshkian, often characterized as a moderate reformer, attempted to bypass this institutional deadlock by forming a parallel task force this month. This move has drawn accusations from hardliners that the presidency is attempting to overstep its legal authority and undermine the Council’s mandate. This tension is further complicated by the judiciary, which recently intervened to suspend a presidential body that had initiated a plan for the gradual restoration of internet access. The resistance is personified by key figures within the system. Media reports have identified Peyman Jebelli, the head of Iranian state television, and Mohammad Aghamiri, the Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, as prominent opponents of the restoration. These figures represent a faction that views unrestricted global connectivity as a threat to internal stability.

Quantifying the Modern Shutdown

The scale of the digital blackout is difficult to overstate. For months, the country has lived under conditions of near-total communication isolation, a period that coincided with heightened security tensions and conflict.

• Total duration of isolation: approximately 2,093 hours
• Primary cause of restrictions: Allegations of “cyber warfare” and internal incitement
• Current status: Iranian television has announced that access to international websites and electronic services is now available “without restrictions”

The severity of this period has been noted by international observers. According to [Youm7](https://www.youm7.com/story/2026/5/26/%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%84-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A3%D8%B7%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A8-%D9%81%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE/7429913), the NetBlocks monitoring organization described the event as the longest comprehensive national internet shutdown in modern history .

Hardline Resistance and the Widening Digital Gap

The ideological divide regarding internet access is stark. Within the Council and among hardline elements, certain platforms are viewed through a lens of national security. Some members have gone so far as to compare the use of Instagram to the threat posed by American F-35 fighter jets . This mindset has fueled the long-term strategy of digital containment to prevent the population from accessing unfiltered information from the outside world. However, the shutdown has also exacerbated a profound digital divide within Iran. While the government struggles to manage official access, a tiered system of connectivity has emerged:

• The Elite: A small number of government-authorized users maintain official access to the open internet.
• The Affluent: A wealthy minority bypasses restrictions using expensive Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
• The Smuggled Tech: A limited number of individuals use Starlink terminals, smuggled from SpaceX, to maintain direct, unmonitored links to the world.

As the presidency attempts to implement its orders, the central question remains whether the decision will be fully realized on the ground. With hardline elements reportedly seeking to sabotage diplomatic agreements and maintain strict digital control, the restoration of the internet may be as much a test of the President’s power as it is a matter of technological policy.