Tehran [Iran], April 25 (ANI): Citizens in Iran have endured a continuous internet blackout for 57 days—exactly eight weeks—since authorities cut the country’s digital access, the internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported.
NetBlocks said the disruption, now entering its 57th day after 1,344 hours, “stifles the voices of Iranians, leaves friends and family out of touch and damages the economy.” The total blackout was imposed immediately after joint US and Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28, isolating Iranians from the global community amid regional instability.
Earlier this month NetBlocks described the crisis as the “longest nation-scale internet shutdown on record in any country,” surpassing previous state-led information controls. The current restriction follows a separate internet and communications blackout in January, which was allegedly used to hide evidence of the state’s deadliest crackdown on its citizens since the Islamic Republic’s founding nearly 47 years ago.
Amid domestic isolation, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Islamabad and met Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir as an Iranian delegation arrived in the Pakistani capital amid a “deepening diplomatic deadlock” with the United States. The city was under a “suffocating security lockdown,” with major roads sealed and the high-security Red Zone placed under a strict cordon.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar posted on social media that he was pleased to “receive and welcome my brother, Foreign Minister of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, to Islamabad,” and looked forward to “meaningful engagements aimed at promoting regional peace and stability.”
The visit comes as the White House said envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would also travel to the region for potential talks with Iran; Tehran has asserted it would “not be meeting” with the US. The diplomatic standoff has slowed Islamabad’s commercial life—markets in the Blue Area are largely deserted, public transport is crippled, and residents report commodity shortages and psychological strain.
The impasse centers on three core issues: Tehran’s highly enriched uranium (HEU), reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel’s military operations in Lebanon. While the White House said emissaries are ready for an “in-person conversation,” Tehran’s state media rejected direct talks as “not in the cards.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said two envoys are slated to meet and expressed hope the talks would “move the ball forward to a deal,” adding Vice President JD Vance remained “deeply involved” despite not traveling. Vance said earlier that “21 hours of intense negotiations” produced no breakthrough and expressed concern about Iran’s nuclear intentions.
Attempts to resume dialogue have stalled as Tehran refuses to return to talks while a US naval blockade remains at its ports. In response, Iran has enforced a “de facto blockade” of the Strait of Hormuz, unsettling global markets. Meanwhile, Washington is bolstering forces with the arrival of the USS George H.W. Bush and has imposed new sanctions on a major Chinese oil refinery and shipping firms linked to Iranian crude.
The Foreign Office said Araghchi would discuss “the latest regional developments as well as ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability” during his visit, even as the capital remains in “suspended animation” with no confirmation of new talks. (ANI)
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)
