Tehran’s power struggle exposes regime fear as citizens remain trapped behind censorship and surveillance walls”
Iran’s judiciary has suspended a presidential body that had ordered the restoration of internet access, blocking efforts to end the country’s months-long digital blackout.
The decision was announced Tuesday by the judiciary’s Mizan Online website, which said the freeze followed complaints filed against the Special Headquarters for Organizing and Governing the Country’s Cyberspace.
The committee was created by President Masoud Pezeshkian on May 12 and had approved a directive to restore internet access across Iran. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani had earlier announced the move after reports that Pezeshkian signed an executive order to dismantle the restrictions.
The judiciary’s intervention highlights a deep power struggle inside Tehran. While the president attempted to ease the blackout, ultimate authority over internet restoration lies with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reflecting the grip of the regime’s security establishment.
Despite the legal suspension, NetBlocks reported that live data showed partial internet restoration was already underway in parts of Iran.
The nationwide digital lockdown began during massive anti-regime protests in January. Restrictions were briefly eased before being reimposed on February 28, when war erupted with the United States and Israel.
Throughout the blackout, Iranians were largely confined to state-approved domestic platforms and websites hosted on Iran’s isolated national intranet. By April 5, NetBlocks described the shutdown as the longest nation-scale internet blackout ever recorded.
The latest judicial move shows a regime terrified of its own people, divided internally and determined to control information as pressure from citizens, Israel and America continues to mount.
