Synchronized Israeli and American aerial assaults struck a military complex in Tehran on Saturday, leading to the demise of scores of high-ranking regime figures, among them Iran’s paramount leader, Ali al-Khamenei.
Within a few hours, the government enforced an almost complete internet cessation, isolating the nation from the external world. Mostafa Zadeh, a Tehran-based global correspondent, conveyed to WIRED Middle East that he was not taken aback when “the United States launched its attack, nor when his mobile phone network ceased functioning and fixed internet connections soon followed.”
“It is highly analogous to the state’s reaction to the January security clampdown, and even the periods of civil disturbance that preceded it,” Zadeh observed. The authorities have habitually cut internet access during emergencies, generally attributing the action to national security concerns.
“The Iranian government’s foremost objective is obstructing communication between Israeli intelligence agents and any internal contacts within the country,” he elucidated. “However, the policy’s most significant impact is borne by journalists and local media professionals who are deprived of their most fundamental instruments.”
Reporters, activists, and everyday citizens endeavoring to chronicle events unfolding locally are confronted with the dilemma of circumventing the limitations—at the peril of apprehension—or remaining silent.
“Journalists bear the most severe consequences,” Zadeh stated. “Access to information invariably becomes the initial victim when the government prioritizes its security objectives.”
Recurrent Disconnections
During the demonstrations that erupted following the demise of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, officials frequently restricted or partly disconnected networks in an attempt to obstruct communication and organizational channels. Onlookers reported that the current interference strongly resembles the service cessation from four years prior, when families found themselves abruptly cut off from loved ones, demonstrators were isolated from each other, and the international community remained unaware of internal occurrences.
Amidst the internet cessation this past February, Zadeh had made some provisions, having organized a five-day journey to Turkey to sustain his professional activities. But he was less fortunate during the shutdown before that, in the midst of the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in 2025. The American newspaper he covertly contributed to lost contact with him, and his editor anticipated the gravest outcome.
On this occasion, despite possessing a Starlink connection, Zadeh opted against employing it. “The peril of Iranian intelligence detecting the satellite transmission and pinpointing its origin was excessively high,” he remarked. “Apprehension on such pretexts could lead to accusations of betrayal or spying.”
Numerous of his associates, Zadeh says, arrived at the identical conclusion. Some, nevertheless, persisted in their resistance.
Extensive legislative amendments enacted in late 2025 led Iran to considerably reinforce its anti-espionage legislation. Pursuant to the amended stipulations, any individual indicted for espionage, especially on behalf of Israel or the United States, is now subject to capital punishment and the seizure of their assets.
Journalism Under Duress
The tactics employed by Iranian journalists and advocates encompass secure communication applications like Signal and Threema, cross-border telephone conversations, SMS, and footage captured by ordinary citizens covertly transported beyond national borders in a coded format.
Erfan Khorshidi operates a human rights collective from outside Iran, yet oversees a substantial team within Tehran. Prior to the January demonstrations, his organization covertly delivered Starlink devices to opposition figures. His team, unprecedentedly, was able to relay dispatches, footage, and images almost instantaneously.
“It represents the sole avenue enabling human rights bodies to convey precise and trustworthy data to the global community,” Khorshidi states. “Before Starlink, internet shutdowns resulted in significant omissions in the recording of human rights abuses.”
To bridge certain of these informational voids, news agencies and human rights collectives operating within Iran depend on detailed visual data from private sector suppliers such as Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs, complemented by moderately resolved information from the European Space Agency’s Copernicus program.
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