We tend to overlook the fact that there are indeed many significant and powerful figures in the Islamic Republic and the IRGC who rely on the continuation of sanctions for their earnings.

Graph from NetBlocks showing network connectivity in Iran from 24 February 2026 to 21 April 2026. The y-axis represents normalized connectivity, ranging from 0% to 100%, and the x-axis represents the dates. The green line representing Iran's connectivity is high through the initial time period, with a sharp drop on the morning of 28 February. The continued drop in connectivity aligns with a nation-scale internet blackout imposed by authorities after joint military strikes by the US and Israel. A brief restoration was observed on 18 March. The minimum and current connectivity levels are indicated as 1% and 1%, respectively. The chart has a dark background with a red horizontal arrow labeled 'SHUTDOWN' indicating the disruption period, and the NetBlocks logo in the lower left corner with the Mapping Internet Freedom slogan.

📵 The #Iran internet blackout is now in its 53rd day after 1248 hours of disconnection from global networks. As authorities work to develop tiered access for select users and businesses, the human impacts and economic harms of this digital censorship measure continue to spiral.

No date or time, Trump extends ceasefire

That’s a bit like giving a kid one dollar every Friday just for doing the chores everyday.

One million toman, the unofficial currency, is equivalent to 10 million Iranian rials per night. Last year's minimum wage in Iran was about 104 million rials per month, meaning you could earn that amount by spending just 10 nights on the streets.

By the way, one million toman is less than 6 euros.

Not a good sign….

It is currently unclear when Vice President JD Vance will leave Washington for Pakistan, sources familiar with the talks tell me. The White House is planning to hold further meetings Tuesday in DC to discuss the path forward, and Vance will be a part of them, they said.

So we really are down to a game of chicken….

Iran has conveyed "informally" to Pakistan that once the US delegstion led by Vice President JD Vance departs from Washington, it will greenlight its delegation to leave for Islamabad.-Pakistan Media

Iranian state-affiliated groups are reportedly paying residents up to 1 million toman per night to attend pro-government rallies in Tehran, as conflicting reports over a possible ceasefire resumption and Islamabad talks leave the public uncertain.

iranwire.com/en/blogs/151...

Graph from NetBlocks showing network connectivity in Iran from 24 February 2026 to 20 April 2026. The y-axis represents normalized connectivity, ranging from 0% to 100%, and the x-axis represents the dates. The green line representing Iran's connectivity is high through the initial time period, with a sharp drop on the morning of 28 February. The continued drop in connectivity aligns with a nation-scale internet blackout imposed by authorities after joint military strikes by the US and Israel. A brief restoration was observed on 18 March. The minimum and current connectivity levels are indicated as 1% and 1%, respectively. The chart has a dark background with a red horizontal arrow labeled 'SHUTDOWN' indicating the disruption period, and the NetBlocks logo in the lower left corner with the Mapping Internet Freedom slogan.

📉 #Iran's internet shutdown has entered its 52nd day after 1224 hours. Metrics show that the general public remain cut off from international networks, while authorities continue efforts to segregate users and provide selective access to favored groups.

Yes. Since IRGC de facto controls the country now, intense infighting there will cause everyone from the IRGC intelligence to the civilian government to the actual boots on the ground to, as we Iranians would say, start playing their own music.

I'd say that the IRGC vs IRGC is a more important topic these days than that. Understanding the depth of its heterogeneity and which parts of it want which outcome.

The regular army (Artesh) is really not as important in this war as the IRGC; the same goes for non-IRGC government officials.

If that actually occurs, predicting what happens next will be nearly impossible.

If the war were to restart because of recent events, the IRGC would almost certainly not have the full support of the Islamic Republic’s government, even among some of the hardliners.

In the shadow of the recent agreements and internal conflicts, I would like to note that it has now been more than 40 days since Mojtaba Khamenei's appointment as the supreme leader, yet we still have neither a voice message nor a video of him.

One of the key ways of suppressing the people has been the nighttime gatherings of regime supporters ever since the war began. We now realise that they were recently being paid for it, based on their contributions. After the recent events, many of them have threatened to leave the streets.

You can see that they don't even want you to follow the news from the Islamic Republic's officials, such as the Foreign Minister, who announced that the Strait is "completely open", but only and only the IRGC itself.

This is not merely a misunderstanding within the regime.

If true, given the current mood among the regime's hardliners, this will be seen as a major escalation. The question is how the IRGC will respond.

One of these days the hardliners will completely blow up any chance of getting a deal and cause their own deaths, and possibly drag the country’s power plants with them

Tansim News, an IRGC-affiliated news outlet, has claimed that there will be no negotiations until the blockade is lifted. However, I’m pretty sure the Islamic Republic’s government, including Ghalibaf, wants to join the negotiations in Pakistan.

I think I want to kill something now.

Yet another newly revealed IR crime from Jan;
After shooting and killing one Sālehe Akbarī, regime forces stole her body and gangraped her before sending photos to her husband Akbar Xodāī saying for now we’ve taken your wife’s hand in your place, the shock and grief causing him to take his own life.

BREAKING NEWS: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps says the Strait of Hormuz will remain shut until the United States ends its blockade.

That plus the attack on Iran International. I mean I am trying not to be a conspiracy theorist but this is looking more like the hand of the IRGC, which may have graduated from being the Iranian "deep-state" to being the Iranian "state"

As noted earlier, Iran operates with two distinct power centers, and the one that truly matters is the faction that controls the military. The U.S. is almost certainly not talking to that group.

Graph from NetBlocks showing network connectivity in Iran from 24 February 2026 to 19 April 2026. The y-axis represents normalized connectivity, ranging from 0% to 100%, and the x-axis represents the dates. The green line representing Iran's connectivity is high through the initial time period, with a sharp drop on the morning of 28 February. The continued drop in connectivity aligns with a nation-scale internet blackout imposed by authorities after joint military strikes by the US and Israel. A brief restoration was observed on 18 March. The minimum and current connectivity levels are indicated as 1% and 1%, respectively. The chart has a dark background with a red horizontal arrow labeled 'SHUTDOWN' indicating the disruption period, and the NetBlocks logo in the lower left corner with the Mapping Internet Freedom slogan.

⏱️ The internet blackout in #Iran has now surpassed the 1200 hour mark, continuing in its eighth week as of day 51.

As peace negotiations appear to flounder, one of the most important factors for Iranians, the restoration of international connectivity, is still overlooked.

Ah so back to square one lol
What a farce

Graph from NetBlocks showing network connectivity in Iran from 24 February 2026 to 18 April 2026. The y-axis represents normalized connectivity, ranging from 0% to 100%, and the x-axis represents the dates. The green line representing Iran's connectivity is high through the initial time period, with a sharp drop on the morning of 28 February. The continued drop in connectivity aligns with a nation-scale internet blackout imposed by authorities after joint military strikes by the US and Israel. A brief restoration was observed on 18 March. The minimum and current connectivity levels are indicated as 1% and 1%, respectively. The chart has a dark background with a red horizontal arrow labeled 'SHUTDOWN' indicating the disruption period, and the NetBlocks logo in the lower left corner with the Mapping Internet Freedom slogan.

🗓️ #Iran has now been isolated from the global internet for seven weeks with the digital blackout entering its 50th day after 1176 hours.

Metrics show the measure, unprecedented for a connected society, continues to the detriment of most Iranians' livelihoods and human rights.

Then you have been either selectively or ignorantly blind, my friend. I made a list for you here:

State media slam Araghchi's Hormuz tweet, say it let Trump claim victory Iran's state media issued rare and sharply worded criticism of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the negotiating team after he declared the reopening of Hormuz Strait on X, saying the move created c...

Two bases of power in Iran….

Media outlets affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued rare and sharply worded criticism of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iran’s negotiating team after he announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on X.
iranintl.com/en/202604172614