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9 May 2026, 15:00

At the beginning of the eleventh week of the nationwide shutdown of international internet in Iran, a government official warned that this action by the government will, in the long run, become a "security threat" for the Islamic Republic.
Ehsan Chitsaz, Deputy Minister of Communications in the government of Masoud Pezeshkian, said: "Cutting off the internet can only help in short timeframes and poses a security threat in the long term."
The internet shutdown in Iran began its eleventh week on Saturday, May 19, while ordinary people in the country can only access international internet at exorbitant costs, and government officials and some supporters of the Islamic Republic face no barriers to access.
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The Deputy Minister of Communications of Iran announced that the damages caused by the internet shutdown for Iran's digital economy on major platforms amount to 55 trillion tomans.
He stated: "The total loss of profit (revenue reduction) in this sector is estimated to be around 16.32 trillion tomans."
The Deputy Minister of Communications of Iran also mentioned that the internet shutdown in the telecommunications and communications sector has resulted in about 6.4 trillion tomans of direct revenue loss for businesses.
Mr. Chitsaz said: "The internet shutdown may be bearable for digital economy businesses for a few hours, but a widespread and comprehensive shutdown effectively creates an economic shock."
It has been eleven weeks since the nationwide internet shutdown in Iran.
Afshin Kolahi, a member of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, had previously stated that the direct loss from the internet shutdown in Iran is 30 to 40 million dollars per day, and the direct and indirect losses from this restriction reach up to 80 million dollars per day.
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The state news agency IRNA, in a field report from Tehran, has practically confirmed that the internet shutdown has pushed part of virtual stores out of the online space and onto the streets and sidewalks.
IRNA wrote that the increase in street vending is not limited to central Tehran and can be seen from the Imamzadeh Hassan market in the southwest of Tehran to the Andisheh town in Shahriar.
According to this news agency, the leniency of the municipality and the "deliberate order" not to confront street vendors have made this trend more apparent, turning parts of the city into showcases for vendors who have been forced to move from Instagram to the streets.
IRNA reported that sellers who just a few months ago operated through an Instagram page, online payments, and order deliveries have now been compelled to set up shop on the streets due to the lack of free and stable internet.
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