Iran has begun restoring international internet access after weeks of severe restrictions imposed following nationwide unrest, the Fars news agency reported on Friday.
The report stated that the removal of international access blocks began Thursday afternoon in the provinces of Isfahan and Fars, with authorities planning to extend the process gradually to all provinces.
The news agency claimed all limitations on domestic platforms have already been lifted in the past week, and access to several major websites - including AI services and the Google search engine - has recently been restored for the general public.
However, platforms that were previously filtered will remain restricted, Fars reported.
According to information received by Fars, if no technical issues arise during the phased reopening, full international internet access is expected to be restored nationwide within the next 24 hours.
The internet blackout began on January 8 as anti-regime protests continued across the Islamic Republic and a brutal crackdown on the demonstrations ensued.
Iranian officials insist the demonstrations were peaceful before turning into “riots", blaming foreign interference from the United States and Israel.
This past Sunday, limited internet access briefly returned in Iran before dropping again.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)