Internet starts coming back in Iran after months-long blackout

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Internet access has started to be restored in Iran after being cut off almost three months ago, the country's first vice-president has said.

"The first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken," Mohammad Reza Aref wrote on X on Tuesday.

Internet monitoring groups Netblocks and Kentik reported "partial" restoration around 13:00 GMT, though the latter warned most networks were still down.

The Iranian government cut internet access following the launch of US and Israeli attacks on 28 February. Officials suggested the aim was to prevent surveillance, espionage and cyber-attacks. It is one of the longest-running national internet shutdowns ever recorded worldwide.

Netblocks said it was "unclear" whether the internet restoration would be "sustained".

"From past digital blackouts in Iran we've seen that the restoration process can take some hours and isn't as streamlined as the shutdown procedure," the group's director of research Isik Mater earlier told BBC Verify.

When the US and Iranian attacks started and internet access was cut off, Iran had only enjoyed full access to the outside world for only about a month following a previous shutdown imposed during January's deadly regime crackdown on anti-government protests.