Iran Expands Internet Pro Access for Selected Groups While Keeping Most Disconnected

Iranian authorities are expanding limited internet access for selected groups while keeping most of the population disconnected during the war with the United States and Israel, according to Al Jazeera.

“Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities have been slowly expanding a list of individuals and entities deemed eligible to have limited internet access”

Al Jazeera

The outlet says the government imposed a near-total internet shutdown across Iran within hours of the first bombs falling in downtown Tehran on February 28, and that monitors put connectivity at “about 2 percent of pre-war levels at most.”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera describes a limited intranet that keeps some local services and apps alive, while “people are highly frustrated” and the economy has suffered “more than 1,200 hours of the digital blackout.”

It adds that this week “tens of thousands of people and organisations selected by the state” signed up or received text message invitations to connect through a service called Internet Pro.

Al Jazeera reports that Internet Pro is “a limited and metered internet connection” where “thousands of sites and most global messaging services are blocked but some applications, app stores and Google services function.”

The same report says the service is sold as “50-gigabyte data packages” by “three top state-linked telecommunications companies,” and that applicants must provide “full identification and professional or referral documents.”

Alongside the expansion of Internet Pro, Iran is also moving to restore international internet access for university professors, with multiple outlets tying the change to the ongoing blackout.

The Sunday Guardian says the government announced it would expand internet access for university professors as the country entered the “51st day” of a near-total internet shutdown affecting the general population.

The Sunday Guardian

It frames the blackout as having been introduced “citing national security concerns during heightened tensions involving theUnited StatesandIsrael,” and it says the majority of Iran’s population, “which is over 90 million,” remains cut off from global online services.

The Sunday Guardian also reports that “Access to Google Search and Google Maps has reportedly been restored,” while warning that “Users may be able to search, but they cannot open most of the websites shown in results.”

Seeking Alpha similarly states that Iran will widen internet access for university professors while most of the country remains under a sweeping shutdown now in its “51st day,” and it attributes the development to state media.

Iran International adds further detail, saying Mehdi Abtahi, the deputy minister of science, research and technology, said access to international internet for Iran’s academic community will be gradually resumed beginning with university professors.

The internet-access changes are occurring as Iran’s officials and security bodies link the broader crisis to maritime and ceasefire disputes involving the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran International.

“The government ofIranannounced on Sunday that it will expand Internet access for university professors”

The Sunday Guardian

The outlet says that IRGC officials, “just one day after Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the full reopening of the Hormuz Strait,” viewed the continuation of the US naval blockade of Iran’s southern ports as “a breach of the ceasefire” and as preventing the passage of commercial ships and oil tankers through the Strait.

It reports that Araghchi’s tweet and Trump’s statements about Iran accepting American terms, including “an unlimited suspension of enrichment and transfer of enriched uranium from Iran to the United States,” provoked “angry reactions from several Iranian officials,” and led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz again.

Iran International also says that “The firing on two Indian oil tankers prompted India to summon the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi,” and it connects that sequence to a statement from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Saturday, April 18.

In that statement, the NSC said that “as long as the enemy intends to disrupt navigation and impose measures such as a naval blockade, Iran regards it as a violation of the ceasefire” and will prevent the opening of the Strait of Hormuz “under restricted conditions.”

The outlet further reports that the NSC said that “in recent days, with the presence in Tehran of the Pakistani army chief as a mediator in negotiations, new proposals from the American side were put forward,” and that Iran is “currently studying them and has not yet replied.”

Iran International describes a parallel diplomatic and military track in which US statements about negotiations and the Strait of Hormuz are met with Iranian security responses.

It says President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday that the United States is still negotiating with Iran and that “by the end of the day it will be determined whether the two sides will move toward a deal.”

Al Jazeera

The outlet also reports that Trump had stated on Friday, April 17 that a deal with Iran was nearing completion and “could be signed within two or three days,” before he later told reporters that Iran had taken “provocative actions” and tried to close the Strait again, adding “but they cannot bully us.”

Iran International says Trump held a meeting in the White House Situation Room to discuss the new crisis concerning the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations, and it quotes Axios as saying the meeting included JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Pete Hagirth, Scott Besant, Steve Witkov, Dan Kin, John Ratcliffe, and Susie Wiles.

The outlet also reports that “A senior US official told Axios that if progress is not made soon, war could resume in the coming days,” and it adds that Axios quoted unnamed US officials saying Trump made at least one phone call with Asim Munir and the Iranian side during Munir’s visit to Tehran.

On the Iranian side, Iran International says the public relations office of the IRGC Navy issued a statement on Saturday, April 18 saying that the American president’s statements on the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf have “no value.”

While Iran International and The Sunday Guardian emphasize gradual restoration for professors, Al Jazeera reports that most people remain disconnected and that the tiering model is provoking resistance and frustration.

“Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities have been slowly expanding a list of individuals and entities deemed eligible to have limited internet access”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera says the government expanded a list of individuals and entities eligible to have limited internet access, but that “the action serves only to illustrate that most of the population of more than 90 million people remains disconnected.”

The Sunday Guardian

It describes how the limited intranet keeps some local services and apps alive, but it also says “people are highly frustrated,” and that the economy has suffered “billions of dollars in lost revenue” as a result of “more than 1,200 hours of the digital blackout.”

The report says that “Not all are convinced,” and that “Many are reported to have taken to state-run online platforms and news sites with demands for the full restoration of the internet.”

It also describes a user on Zoomit, saying, “I’m a cybersecurity and network expert. Our servers and systems have not received security updates for about two months, and we’ve lost all our integration with open-sourced communities,” and adds that “This has significantly increased risks and stopped development, it’s unclear if my team will have its contract renewed this year in these economic conditions.”

Al Jazeera also says Iranians circumvent the filternet through VPNs and other methods, and it quotes Aliasghar Honarmand writing on X: “Access to the free internet is a fundamental and basic right for all people.”