226/68 Monday, June 23, 2025
The Iranian government has officially confirmed that it has restricted nationwide internet access in response to escalating cyber tensions with Israel. Officials stated that the move was aimed at protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks and preventing adversaries from remotely controlling drones via internet networks. According to reports by Iranian news outlets Khabar Online and Zoomit, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani stated in a live broadcast:
“Internet access has been limited due to enemy drones being controlled through the network and ongoing cyberattacks on the country’s infrastructure.”
She added that Iran has contingency plans in place, including the deployment of a national internet system to replace global internet access during emergencies, emphasizing that “national security is the highest priority.” Mohajerani also disclosed that the largest crypto exchange in Iran, Nobitex, had been hacked and that state-owned banks—notably Bank Sepah, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—had faced cyberattack attempts.
A pro-Israel hacker group known as “Predatory Sparrow” claimed responsibility for several cyberattacks on Iranian targets, stating that they breached Nobitex and transferred stolen cryptocurrency to unusable wallets. They also claimed to have wiped data from Bank Sepah, citing the bank’s connection to the IRGC. News outlet CNN and blockchain analytics firms Elliptic and TRM Labs confirmed movements of digital assets to wallets bearing references to the IRGC.
Furthermore, Cloudflare and other internet service providers reported significant disruptions in Iranian internet traffic that coincided with heightened military conflict and intensified cyber warfare. Iranian state media later confirmed that the nation is under “a large-scale cyber war” from Israel, prompting the country-wide internet restrictions.
