Iranians are slowly coming back online, but for an economy already battered by chronic inflation, international sanctions and a collapsing currency, the outage is seen as the final blow, cutting off online trade as one of the few remaining survival strategies for many families.
After nearly three weeks of near‑total isolation from the global internet − triggered by anti-government protests in which thousands were killed − access briefly began to return for some users on Saturday, only to be disrupted again hours later.
The blackout triggered an immediate economic shock in an already dire situation, particularly for the thousands of online sellers.
“It’s been more than two weeks and I haven’t had one single order,” a business owner who sells curtains through Instagram told The National on condition of anonymity. “We don’t even have a shop. We run our business from home and sell online,” he added, pointing to how online trade has turned into a last resort for many families who cannot afford a physical store.
That experience reflects a broader reality: many digital businesses in Iran
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