A pro-Israel hacking group known as “Predatory Sparrow” claimed responsibility on Wednesday for a cyber attack that stole the equivalent of approximately $90 million from Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Leslie Eastman covered that story here.
In response, Iranian authorities cut off internet access across the country. London-based NetBlocks, an independent group that monitors global internet activity, reports that the nationwide internet shutdown is in its second day.
In the social media post below, one internet user reported that less than 10% of users inside Iran can communicate with the outside world. She noted, “The last time the terrorist Islamic Republic shut down the internet this bad was in 2019 when they slaughtered over 4000 innocent people fighting to overthrow the Islamic Dictatorship.”
She was referring to the bloody uprising against the mullahs that began in November 2019. The protests quickly spread throughout the country and ended in a brutal crackdown by the mullah’s regime.
At the time, President Donald Trump appealed to the United Nations Security Council to “take action to confront these and other dangers facing the world. That also includes the behavior of the Iranian regime, which has killed hundreds and hundreds of people in a very short period of time. They’re killing protestors. They turned down their Internet system. People aren’t hearing what’s going on.”
He continued, “I would like to see the media get involved in that and go in and see what’s happening, because it’s not a good situation. It’s a horrible situation. It’s something that is going to be a big scandal throughout the world very soon. They’re killing a lot of people. And they’re arresting thousands of their own citizens in a brutal crackdown in recent weeks because they’re protesting. And I think the media should get involved in that. I don’t know that they will because they have their own reasons, but the media should absolutely get involved in that.”
It was a harrowing ordeal for the Iranian people, made even worse by their inability to share information.
The current situation inside the country, while critical, is completely different. Since Israel began its military campaign against Iran last Friday, the mullahs have largely lost control of everything. Yet, until Wednesday, the people had at least limited internet access.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “Iranian authorities have regularly placed partial restrictions on internet access for the country’s roughly 90 million people — even as many sought to flee their homes to safer locations.”
As the world holds its breath waiting to see whether Trump will authorize the use of 30,000-pound American-made bunker-busting bombs to destroy Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment complex, it is vital that the Iranian people can communicate with one another.
It was widely reported last weekend that Elon Musk had provided internet service to the Iranian people through Starlink.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Musk “confirmed Saturday he turned on Starlink for Iranians after the Islamic regime limited its online services.
“Starlink, a satellite-based constellation made by SpaceX that gives people internet, especially in places where regular internet is hard to get. The satellites fly close to Earth and help provide fast internet with little delay.”
It’s unclear when, or even if, the internet connection will be restored.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn or X.
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