The partial lifting of internet restrictions in Iran has unveiled a surge of public anger over food price inflation, with ordinary Iranians reporting annual increases of 308% for vegetable oil, 190% for chicken, and 170% for rice. Authorities began restoring global internet access on Tuesday after it was severed on 28 February, the first day of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.
Connectivity remained patchy on Wednesday, with mobile internet largely disconnected and many sites still restricted. However, even the partial restoration prompted an outpouring of frustration on social media. “Everything is so expensive. It has become a disaster,” wrote one user. “You leave the market with a broken heart after spending all your savings. It is unbearable.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has received some credit for lifting the restrictions, blamed the United States for Iran’s economic ills, stating that Washington “had moved to economic warfare after failing to bring the government down”. The ministry of intelligence warned that internet freedom could be used for “cognitive warfare”, claiming that adversaries aimed to “incite protesters and drag them on to the streets”.
The government announced the creation of a “resistance economy committee” to tackle price gouging and shortages, but hyperinflation is now endemic due to trade sanctions and exchange rate pressure. Data from the International Monetary Fund showed food inflation between 140% and 200%, pushing overall inflation to 70%. Support for continuing internet restrictions stood at just 9% in a recent survey.
Human rights activist Emadeddin Baghi expressed relief at being able to communicate with the wider world, writing: “In this period our voices found no echo except on some internal platforms.” Rapper Toomaj Salehi, previously sentenced to death and later released, said internet access was “not a favour to us – it is our right. And without filters as well.”
