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, May 26, 2026.

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.

Ceasefire under strain

Iran has accused the United States of carrying out a “gross violation” of the fragile ceasefire after new air strikes in southern Iran, escalating tensions at a time when diplomatic efforts to stabilise the conflict remain underway.

The US Central Command said its forces conducted “self-defence strikes” targeting Iranian missile sites and boats allegedly preparing to deploy mines in the Hormozgan region, near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities, however, said Washington will be held responsible for what it called “aggressive and unjustified actions,” warning that Iran would not leave any such attacks unanswered.

The strikes, which reports suggest may have hit areas near Bandar Abbas, come amid an already volatile security situation in the Gulf, where earlier explosions were reported and Iranian state media said investigations were ongoing.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) separately claimed it had downed a US drone and engaged a fighter jet that entered its airspace, though it did not specify the timing of the incidents. The developments have deepened uncertainty over the durability of the ceasefire agreed in April, which has largely held aside from isolated clashes in recent weeks.

The escalation also risks complicating ongoing negotiations aimed at extending the truce and addressing key disputes between the two sides. Talks have focused on contentious issues, including Iran’s demand for the release of frozen assets held abroad, concerns over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and security in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil trade flows.

While US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated that a deal remains possible within days, mediation efforts involving Pakistan and Qatari officials continue to face major stumbling blocks, leaving the path to a lasting agreement uncertain.