Iran to consider removing internet restrictions in the coming days, says Parliament official

Iran will consider lifting its internet blackout “in the coming days,” according to a member of the Islamic republic’s Parliament.

Ebrahim Azizi, the head of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committees, said Monday Tehran’s top security bodies, including the Supreme National Security Council, will discuss removing internet restrictions over the next few days.

He added that restrictions will be lifted only when “security conditions are appropriate.”

The announcement comes one day after Iran’s state media apparatus was apparently hacked on Sunday, airing speeches from President Trump and messages from Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the late exiled shah.

The internet restrictions began in earnest on Jan. 8, following days of massive anti-government protests across the country.

Some Iranian citizens have circumvented the blackout by using Starlink terminals, though experts say Tehran has been updating its tactics to counter the satellite internet alternative.

Human rights organizations assert that the restrictions have been used to splinter dissent and prevent outside observers from understanding the extent of Tehran’s crackdown on protesters.

While exact figures are difficult to confirm, international observers estimate the death toll from Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protesters is in the thousands, with some reports indicating it could be more than 10,000.

Dissident organizations have accused Iranian security forces of firing automatic weapons and sniper rifles at protesters. Tehran has insisted its security forces acted as needed to suppress rioting demonstrators, which the regime says were aided by foreign adversaries.

The widespread violence in the latest rounds of protests was seen as the Islamic republic’s greatest challenge since its 12-day war with Israel in June, which destroyed much of its uranium-enrichment infrastructure and killed dozens of high-ranking officials.

The reported death toll of protesters also brought threats of military intervention from Mr. Trump, who promised to step in if Tehran began executing protesters. Last week, Mr. Trump received word from inside Iran that the regime had decided to halt the executions of hundreds of protesters.