Due to intense cyberattacks from Israel, Iran has shut down internet services and telephone networks across the country. The blackout, announced by Iran’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, is being described as a temporary but necessary move to protect national infrastructure.

According to a statement reported by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the ministry said the action was essential, “given the abuse of the country’s communication network by the aggressor enemy.”

The communication shutdown is announced as tensions rise over the possibility of U.S. involvement in the conflict. While President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would take up to two weeks to decide on any military action against Iran, the blackout has already sparked concern and disruption within the country.

The blackout isn't just due to digital attacks. Reports suggest that security fears have also played a big role. Israel’s recent strikes on Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure resulted in the deaths of top-level security officials and nuclear scientists. The high precision of the attacks caused panic within Iran, leading the government to take further digital security measures.

Iranian authorities, who told citizens to uninstall WhatsApp, accused the app of sharing user data with Israel, despite its end-to-end encryption.

WhatsApp denied the accusation, calling them “false reports” and criticizing Iran’s actions, saying the service was being blocked “at a time when people need them the most.”

Meanwhile, Israeli attacks continue across Iranian cities, with nuclear and military targets reportedly being hit again.

Since Wednesday afternoon, mobile phones and landlines across Iran have become unreachable from outside the country. This large-scale blackout has severely limited communication both inside and beyond Iran’s borders.

Even during the shutdown, Iranian state media and semi-official news outlets continue to post updates through Telegram, a messaging app that remains favored by Iranian authorities because it is not based in the U.S.

The cyberwar intensified this week with a hacking group named ‘Predatory Sparrow’, known to have links to Israel, claiming responsibility for attacks on Iran’s financial institutions.

One of Iran’s most prominent state-owned banks, Bank Sepah, was targeted first. Iranian news outlets reported that customers struggled to withdraw money or use their cards during the attack. Notably, the U.S. Treasury had previously sanctioned Bank Sepah in 2018 for supporting Iran’s military.

The same group also claimed to have hacked into the Iranian cryptocurrency exchange Nobitex, reportedly burning $90 million worth of crypto from accounts they said belonged to the “Israeli regime.” They even published the platform’s source code online.

Following these attacks, Iran’s communications ministry confirmed that both a state-owned and a private bank had been targeted, along with the crypto platform, which reportedly lost around $100 million in assets.

According to the ministry’s statement via Tasnim, the internet blackout was a “defensive tool” and was effective, with cyberattack intensity dropping after online access was cut.

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