Iranian president orders internet restoration; IRGC media disputes his authority

What happened

Iran International reports that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the Ministry of Communications on Monday to restore international internet access to its pre-January status. His spokesman confirmed the order, and the restoration process has reportedly begun, with implementation expected as soon as Tuesday, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Despite the president's directive, IRGC-affiliated media such as Fars News have questioned his authority to reverse internet restrictions, arguing that the Supreme National Security Council originally decided to limit access and must approve any restoration. This division exposes institutional disagreements on internet governance within Iran's power structures.

The decision followed a Special Task Force on Cyberspace Management meeting where a majority voted in favor of reconnecting Iran to the global internet after over 85 days of disruption. However, key officials opposed the restoration, including Peyman Jebelli, head of state broadcasting, and Mohammad-Amin Aghamiri, secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace—despite Aghamiri being a presidential appointee who has nonetheless opposed the president’s position.

Known from the source

• President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the Ministry of Communications to restore internet access to pre-January levels.
• The internet restoration process has begun and is expected to be implemented on Tuesday according to ISNA.
• IRGC-affiliated Fars News questioned Pezeshkian’s authority to issue the order, pointing to the Supreme National Security Council as the decision maker on internet restrictions.
• The Special Task Force on Cyberspace Management voted 9 to 3 in favor of reconnecting to the global internet after over 85 days of disruption.
• Opponents to internet restoration include Peyman Jebelli and Mohammad-Amin Aghamiri, although Aghamiri is a presidential appointee.

What remains unclear

This internet outage and its contested restoration tie into wider security and political concerns in Iran, where state control over cyberspace is a priority amid ongoing domestic protests and regional tensions. The conflict over who holds authority over cyberspace policy reflects deeper factional divides between elected officials and military-affiliated actors such as the IRGC.

What remains unclear: Exact official role of the Supreme National Security Council in internet restriction and restoration decisions. Official reaction or position from the Ministry of Communications on the restoration order. Formal response or statement from IRGC or affiliated bodies regarding the authority dispute. Verification of the timeline and extent of the internet restoration implementation.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has treated the source material as confirmed within the supplied source context, while retaining attribution to the original publisher.

Original source: Iran International. Open the source.