Iran's 24-Day Internet Blackout Among World's Most Severe, Says NetBlocks

In a post on X, the watchdog group revealed that the disruption has now surpassed the 552-hour mark, noting that the ongoing outage is "among the most severe registered in any country." The monitoring service highlighted the stratified nature of the blackout, observing that "international connectivity remains unavailable to the general public while authorities maintain a selective whitelist for global access."

Amid this internal communication blackout, the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has confirmed that Tehran has submitted 16 formal letters to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other global authorities. These documents demand a "condemnation of the unprovoked war of aggression against the Islamic Republic by the United States and the Israeli regime," according to the country's state media, Press TV.

This diplomatic push follows a series of military strikes that began late last month. Razieh Alishvandi, the Deputy IRCS Head for International and Human Rights Affairs, stated on Sunday that Iran is actively lobbying international bodies to "take necessary legal measures in condemnation of the US-Israel attacks."

Expanding on these efforts, Alishvandi noted that the IRCS is maintaining daily communication with the International Federation of the Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross. She highlighted that "five joint statements by the Iranian National Committee on Humanitarian Law and the Iranian Red Crescent Society have been issued" to date.

According to Press TV, these statements address specific "cases of human rights violations," including documented "attacks on medical centres and civilians, attacks on IRCS ambulances, and also attacks on Frigate IRIS Dena." The current escalation is described as a "fresh round of unlawful military aggression on Iran" that commenced on February 28.

This surge in violence follows a period of heightened tensions, occurring roughly eight months after previous "unprovoked attacks on the country." In response to the air raids, Tehran has launched "extensive retaliatory attacks," utilising "missiles and drones successfully hitting targets in the Israeli-occupied territories, as well as US military assets in regional countries."

The humanitarian toll resulting from the conflict was detailed by IRCS Head Pir-Hossein Kolivand, who reported that "81,365 civilian units, including medical centres, schools, and ambulances, have been damaged." State media Press TV quoted Kolivand describing the destruction as a "gross violation of international humanitarian regulations and the Geneva Convention."

The scale of the damage includes "61,555 homes and 19,050 commercial units" across various provinces. In Tehran alone, the strikes have reportedly impacted "24,605 residential and commercial units, 275 pharmaceutical, health, and emergency centres, 498 schools and 17 Red Crescent centres, and 3 helicopters."

Emphasising the gravity of the situation, Kolivand stated that "attacks on these centres and equipment are not merely the destruction of buildings or vehicles, but a direct attack on the lifelines that save human lives." As reported by Press TV, the Iranian government continues to document these incidents as part of its broader legal strategy to hold the US and Israel accountable on the international stage.

- ANI