Iran stayed under a near-total internet blackout on Saturday as the war with the United States and Israel dragged into its second week. Internet monitor NetBlocks said the shutdown had now lasted a full seven days, with traffic inside Iran running at about 1% of normal levels. NetBlocks said the blackout had reached hour 168 and described it as a regime-imposed national shutdown. The group said the public had been left without vital alerts and updates while officials and state media still had access. It also posted a chart showing how sharply internet traffic had dropped. At the same time, U.S. and Israeli airstrikes continued on Saturday, one week after both countries began their campaign to strip Tehran of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and push for regime change. Source: NetBlocks NetBlocks says Iran has gone dark while airstrikes keep hitting A similar near-blackout in Iran lasted several weeks in January during broad protests. This time, though, the shutdown is unfolding during open war, not just domestic unrest, and that makes the damage bigger. Analysts said the loss of internet access is likely to thicken the fog of war because people on the ground cannot easily message family, post videos, document damage, or follow events as they happen. Some analysts also said the disruption may not be coming from one cause alone. They said extra factors may also be making the outage worse. That could mean technical strain, conflict-related damage, or other pressure on the system. Cybersecurity firms added another warning. They said Iran is also likely to answer with cyberattacks, either carried out directly by the government or by proxy groups linked to it. So the battlefield may not stay limited to airstrikes and drones. It may also spread into networks and digital systems. NetBlocks put the scale of the blackout in plain terms. “A full week has now passed since #Iran fell into digital darkness under a regime-imposed national internet blackout,” the group said in a social media post. It then added, “The measure remains in place at hour 168, leaving the public isolated without vital updates and alerts while officials and state media retain access.” Masoud apologizes to Gulf neighbors as Tehran reports a drone strike in the UAE Saturday also brought a fresh regional flare-up. Iran said it struck a U.S. air base in the United Arab Emirates shortly after President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country would stop attacking neighboring states. Iran’s Tasnim News agency said the navy drone unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked Al Dhafra air base south of Abu Dhabi. The UAE Ministry of Defence said on X that it detected 121 unmanned aerial vehicles on Saturday, intercepted 119 of them, and that two fell within UAE territory. Earlier that day, Masoud tried to calm the Gulf states after a week of retaliatory strikes. “I apologize to the neighboring countries,” Masoud said. “We do not intend to invade other countries. Let us set aside all the disagreements, concerns, and resentments we have toward each other. Today, let us defend our own soil to bring Iran out of this crisis with dignity.” But Masoud did not soften his position toward Washington. In a statement carried by Iran’s national news agency on Telegram, he said the United States can “take their dreams to the grave; we will not surrender unconditionally.” That apology quickly drew backlash at home. Hardline cleric and lawmaker Hamid Rasai publicly criticized Masoud on social media and wrote, “Your stance was unprofessional, weak and unacceptable.” Donald Trump then responded on Truth Social, saying Masoud’s apology came after the “relentless U.S. and Israeli attack.” Trump wrote, “Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore.” He then added, “Today Iran will be hit very hard!” The wider region was already on edge. Gulf neighbors said they intercepted more missiles and drones headed toward their airspace from Iran. Kuwait said on Saturday that it was cutting oil production because of “Iranian threats against safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.” Kuwait is the fifth-largest oil producer in OPEC. U.S. Central Command also gave its own wartime update, saying on X, “U.S. forces have struck over 3,000 targets in the first week of Operation Epic Fury, and we are not slowing down.” If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .
