A senior adviser to Iran’s presidency and son of President Masoud Pezeshkian has publicly urged authorities to restore internet access, warning that the prolonged nationwide shutdown is likely to deepen public frustration rather than restore calm.
In a rare intervention on Saturday, Yousef Pezeshkian said the more than two-week blackout was widening the gap between the state and society, adding that continued restrictions would push even previously neutral citizens into opposition. Writing on Telegram, he argued that the political cost of keeping the internet offline now outweighed the risk of renewed protests if connectivity were restored.
“Maintaining the shutdown will create dissatisfaction and expand the divide between the people and the government,” he wrote, a message later circulated by Iran’s state news agency IRNA. He warned that prolonging the blackout would increase resentment at a time when trust is already fragile.
Iran’s population of more than 90 million has been largely cut off from global internet access since 8 January, when authorities imposed sweeping restrictions amid mass protests across the country. The blackout has coincided with a violent crackdown by security forces, drawing condemnation from international rights groups and making independent verification of events on the ground extremely difficult.
Human rights organisations say thousands of people were killed during the unrest, with the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights estimating that the final death toll could exceed 25,000. Iranian authorities have reported 3,117 deaths, categorising most as members of the security forces or civilians, while blaming the violence on what they describe as foreign-backed “rioters”.
Yousef Pezeshkian, who serves as a media adviser to the presidency, said concerns over the potential release of videos and images from recent clashes were among the reasons the internet remained shut. However, he questioned the rationale behind the policy, suggesting transparency would ultimately be unavoidable.
Quoting a Persian proverb, he wrote that those with nothing to hide should not fear scrutiny, adding that shutting down the internet merely delays an inevitable reckoning rather than resolving underlying issues.
While echoing official claims that foreign actors played a role in escalating the protests, he acknowledged that mistakes may have been made by security and law enforcement agencies. An unusually candid admission from someone so close to the presidency, he stated that we could not ignore such actions and would need to address them.
He also said it remained unclear when internet services would be restored, offering no indication that a policy change was imminent. However, his remarks mark one of the strongest public critiques from within the political establishment since the blackout began.
Analysts say the intervention highlights growing unease within Iran’s leadership over the social and economic costs of prolonged digital isolation. The shutdown has disrupted business, education and basic communication, while intensifying international scrutiny of Tehran’s handling of dissent.
As domestic and international pressure intensifies, Yousef Pezeshkian's remarks indicate a growing discussion within the government about whether the ongoing restrictions are stabilising the situation or driving it towards further instability.
