Iran has restored access to the global internet after months of severe restrictions imposed during nationwide unrest earlier this year and later intensified during the conflict involving the United States and Israel, according to Iranian semi-official media reports.

Tasnim news agency reported Tuesday that authorities had begun lifting restrictions following instructions from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to return internet access to conditions that existed before January 2026.

Under the latest changes, users across Iran can once again access international websites through both fixed broadband and mobile internet networks. Services including FTTH, VDSL and ADSL connections have reportedly resumed without the extensive restrictions that had disrupted online access for months.

Iran imposed a near-total internet shutdown during major protests on January 8 and 9, after widespread demonstrations erupted over worsening economic conditions and the rapid depreciation of the Iranian rial against the US dollar.

Authorities later tightened restrictions further following military tensions and conflict involving the US and Israel beginning on February 28.

During that period, internet connectivity inside the country became increasingly limited, with many users relying heavily on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access foreign websites and social media platforms.

Although domestic online services, banking systems and local Iranian platforms continued operating during much of the disruption, access to the wider global internet remained unstable and heavily filtered.

Major international platforms including YouTube and X remain blocked in Iran, meaning many users are still dependent on VPN services despite the restoration of broader internet access.

The restrictions had a major impact on businesses, e-commerce activity, media access and communication with the outside world. Iranian companies and freelancers that rely on international platforms reportedly faced months of disruption, while ordinary users struggled with slow connections and inconsistent access to foreign websites.

Iranian authorities said more than 3,100 people were killed during the unrest, while some human rights groups estimated the death toll could be significantly higher.

Officials in Tehran have acknowledged growing public frustration over economic pressures but accused the United States and Israel of attempting to exploit the unrest through sanctions, political pressure and efforts aimed at destabilizing the country.

Analysts previously noted that Iran’s measures did not fully shut down all internet infrastructure nationwide. Instead, authorities largely restricted access to the international internet while maintaining many domestic digital services through the country’s national information network system.

The restoration of broader internet access is expected to ease pressure on businesses and improve communications, though digital restrictions and censorship measures on several major global platforms remain in place.

Instagram has disabled its end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) direct messaging feature worldwide, marking a major reversal by parent company Meta on its previous commitment to stronger user privacy protections.

The move means Instagram users can no longer send ultra-private direct messages protected by E2EE — a security system that allows only the sender and recipient to read messages. Without the feature, Instagram can technically access the content of direct messages, including photos, videos and voice notes.

Meta had previously promoted encryption as “the future is private.” In 2019, CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to expand the technology across the company’s platforms.

Facebook Messenger adopted E2EE in 2023, while Instagram introduced it as an optional feature with plans to make it standard.

However, Meta has now abandoned the wider Instagram rollout and updated the app’s terms in March to confirm encrypted messaging would no longer be supported after 8 May 2026.

Meta said the decision was based on low user adoption, though critics argue optional privacy tools often see limited use because users must manually activate them.

The move has divided opinion. Child protection groups, including the NSPCC, welcomed the change, saying encryption can make it harder to detect child grooming and abuse online.

Privacy advocates criticised the decision. Maya Thomas of Big Brother Watch warned the move weakens online privacy protections and could increase pressure on other social media companies to scale back encryption.

End-to-end encryption remains standard on platforms including WhatsApp, Signal, Apple’s iMessage and Google Messages, while other platforms continue to take mixed approaches to private messaging.

Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have obtained the clearest view yet of the surface of a rocky exoplanet, revealing a scorched, atmosphere-free world that scientists say resembles a giant version of Mercury.

The planet, known as LHS 3844 b and nicknamed “Kua’kua,” appears to be a barren, uninhabitable world with extreme temperature swings and no detectable atmosphere, according to a study published this week in Nature Astronomy.

Researchers said the planet’s surface is likely covered in dark volcanic rock and ancient regolith — loose rocky debris formed over billions of years from relentless bombardment by radiation and micrometeorite impacts.

“This planet is not a nice place,” said astronomer Laura Kreidberg, senior author of the study. “It’s a hellish, barren rock — much more similar to Mercury than Earth.”

Located about 49 light-years away, LHS 3844 b orbits a small red dwarf star and completes a full orbit every 11 hours. The planet is tidally locked, meaning one side permanently faces its star while the other remains in darkness — similar to how the Moon always shows the same face to Earth.

Scientists found the planet’s dayside reaches roughly 1,340 degrees Fahrenheit (725 degrees Celsius), while the nightside showed almost no detectable heat.

Using Webb’s infrared instruments, researchers were able to directly analyze light coming from the planet’s surface — a major breakthrough for exoplanet science.

“Different rocks have different spectral fingerprints,” said lead author Sebastian Zieba. “Dark volcanic rocks like basalt matched our observations much better than brighter rocks like granite.”

The findings mark a new phase in exoplanet research, shifting beyond atmospheric studies toward direct analysis of alien geology and surface composition.

Since becoming operational in 2022, the Webb telescope has transformed scientists’ understanding of planets beyond the solar system, helping identify atmospheric chemistry, weather patterns and now even the nature of distant planetary surfaces.

Researchers said the absence of an atmosphere on LHS 3844 b means there is little protection from stellar radiation and virtually no possibility of liquid water — a key ingredient for life.

“So overall, this is almost certainly not a habitable world,” Zieba said.