Slight Rise in Iran Internet Access After 200 Hours

NetBlocks, the organization that monitors global connectivity, censorship, and network disruptions in real time, reported a very slight increase in internet connectivity in Iran early Saturday after more than 200 hours of restricted access.

Despite this minor improvement, overall connectivity remains at roughly 2% of normal levels, with no indication of a meaningful restoration, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iran International.

According to media reports, SMS sending and receiving services have already been restored across mobile phone operators in Iran.

According to the US-based human rights group, the death toll in Iran's protests has reached 2,677.

The ongoing protests, triggered by discontent over economic conditions, also led to the detention of 19,097 people, said the Human Rights Activists News Agency.

In clashes that broke out during the protests, 2,677 people lost their lives, it said.

Iranian authorities have so far not made any statements on the total number of people killed or injured during the protests.

The protests began on Dec. 28 in the capital Tehran, when shopkeepers, merchants and small business owners staged strikes and demonstrations to protest soaring inflation, the collapsing rial, and deteriorating economic conditions.

The demonstrations have since spread to multiple cities and escalated into anti-government expressions of discontent involving workers, students, and others.