"Class Internet" Fuels Public Anger as Iran's Selective Connectivity Persists

President Pezeshkian ordered a committee headed by First Vice President Aref to devise a plan to end Iran's internet blackout — in place since late February 2026, when the war with the US-Israel coalition began. However, the move was met with widespread skepticism as powerful security institutions continued to control Iranian cyberspace. Citizens and activists labeled the existing two-tier system — where businesses and government officials retain internet access while ordinary Iranians remain cut off — as 'class internet,' fueling popular anger over perceived elite privilege during the crisis. The complete internet blackout for ordinary citizens had lasted over 80 days at this point.