Internet Blackout in Iran Obscures War's Human Toll, Rights Groups Warn
As US and Israeli airstrikes continue to bombard Iran, civilians are enduring the attacks in an information vacuum, cut off from vital warnings about impending strikes, affected medical facilities, and real-time developments. Human rights organizations are raising alarms that the Iranian government's near-complete internet shutdown, now exceeding 100 hours, is exacerbating the human cost of the conflict by preventing civilians from accessing life-saving information.
Civilians Left in the Dark During Bombardment
"Information barely gets through," said Ali, a Tehran resident who spoke briefly via VPN connection. "If there's no internet, we know absolutely nothing. Not about other cities, not even about what's happening a few streets away." The internet traffic in Iran has plummeted to approximately 1% of normal levels according to monitoring group Netblocks, creating what experts describe as a dangerous information blackout during active military operations.
While the Israeli Defense Forces have been posting evacuation warnings on social media channels about civilian areas they plan to target, these critical alerts are almost certainly not reaching most Iranians in those zones. Researchers at Project Ainita and the Outline Foundation confirm that even if warnings somehow penetrate the digital blockade, they would likely arrive too late for effective evacuation, particularly since many military bases are situated within urban areas.
Government-Controlled Narrative Versus Reality
The information vacuum is being filled with contradictory messages from Iranian state media. While some strikes on civilian sites like the Minab primary school are being documented, other attacks are either unreported or dismissed as enemy propaganda. State-affiliated Tasmin news channel described evacuation warnings for border cities as "psychological operations by enemies" and urged the public to ignore such rumors.
"It's alarming to see reporting and narratives being pushed through these channels trying to portray that cities and certain areas are safe and that life is continuing as normal," said Fereidoon Bashar, executive director of ASL19, a digital rights organization focused on Iran. Only a limited circle of government-approved entities, including some state media sites and those with access to Starlink terminals, maintain unfettered internet access during the shutdown.
Civilian Infrastructure Under Fire
The human toll continues to mount as airstrikes target civilian infrastructure. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei listed 33 civilian sites that have been hit or damaged, including schools, hospitals, and markets. The strike on Minab primary school represents the worst mass casualty event so far, with at least 168 reported dead, mostly young children.
Medical infrastructure has also suffered significant damage. The International Federation of the Red Crescent reports seven of their bases and branches damaged, along with three rescue vehicles and fourteen medical and pharmaceutical centers. Health services are further hampered by the information blackout, preventing coordinated emergency responses.
Documenting the Crisis Amid Digital Silence
The internet shutdown is severely impeding efforts to document and verify the full human impact of the conflict. According to Human Rights Activists News Agency, reported civilian deaths stood at 1,114 as of March 4, including 181 children. The organization emphasized that "during military attacks, a nationwide internet disruption is not merely a technical issue – it directly affects the flow of information, the ability to conduct field verification, citizens' access to safety information, and communication among families."
HRANA stressed that Iran's government has an obligation under human rights law to ensure access to information, noting that "transparency and access to information are essential for civilian protection and the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance." The current blackout, while less absolute than January's nationwide shutdown during protests, still leaves most Iranians almost completely cut off from the outside world as bombs continue to fall.
For civilians like Ali in Tehran, the situation remains terrifyingly uncertain. "No one knows when the war will end," he said. "There's this constant anxiety: what if it doesn't end?" As the conflict continues, the information blackout threatens to obscure both the immediate dangers to civilians and the full scale of humanitarian suffering unfolding across Iran.
