Khaberni - A high-ranking Iranian official hinted on Monday that internet service might become available to companies within the next few days, amidst the unprecedented blocking that has been imposed on digital services amid the protests.
The protests began on December 28 due to the deterioration of living conditions and turned into a movement with political slogans opposing the Iranian authorities in power since 1979.
The momentum of the protests significantly declined after they faced a campaign of violent repression that resulted in thousands of deaths.
This coincided with an unprecedented internet blackout since January 8, which human rights organizations claim aimed to cover up the suppression of the protesters.
Hossein Rafieyan, a senior official in digital economy in Iran, said, "We hope to reconnect companies to the international internet within a day or two," as reported by the Mehr Iranian agency on Monday.
He indicated that the final decision in this matter is not within his "direct" authority, but "the issue is continuously followed through consultations with the relevant parties."
According to NetBlocks, an organization monitoring network connection, Iran has still been cut off from the global internet for 18 days.
The internet outage affects the entire economy in Iran.
According to Minister of Communications Ihsan Chitsaz, the cost ranges between 4 and 6 trillion rials per day (approximately 3 to 4 million dollars).
