The London-based NetBlocks organisation, which monitors cybersecurity, said Iranians are largely cut off from global communications after their internet connection went down.

“Metrics show Iran has now been offline for over 12 hours as authorities impose a nation-scale internet shutdown, citing Israel’s alleged ‘misuse’ of the network for military purposes,” the non-profit organisation posted on X early on Thursday.

The measure continued to hinder residents’ access to information at a critical time, it added.

On Wednesday, Netblocks posted that live network data showed Iran was now in the midst of a near-total national internet blackout.

The blackout followed a series of earlier partial disruptions and came amid escalating tensions with Israel after days of back-and-forth missile strikes.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Tehran-based Mehr News Agency quoted a statement from the Communications Ministry that the restrictions followed “misuse of the national communications networks by the hostile aggressor for military purposes, jeopardising the life and property of innocent people.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported that its air force was currently hitting military targets in  Tehran.

The reports came on the sixth day of strikes that began when Israeli jets hit Iranian military targets last Friday and amid continuing uncertainty over whether the United States will involve itself in military action to disrupt Iran’s nuclear arms programme.

(dpa/NAN)