WANA (Jan 25) – Recent reports from Iranian government officials and private sector leaders reveal a massive gap in the estimated financial toll of internet shutdowns on Iran’s economy, with reported daily losses ranging from about $2.9 million to over $35 million, based on an exchange rate of 140,000 tomans per US dollar.

 

Ehsan Chitsaz, Deputy for ICT Development Policy and Planning and Digital Economy at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, estimated that internet disruptions cause between $2.86 million and $4.29 million in losses per day for businesses. (18 January)

 

Reza Olfat-Nasab, Head of the Union of Virtual Businesses, said that according to a recent Ministry of ICT report, internet shutdowns have resulted in approximately $27.14 million in daily losses. (19 January)

 

Sattar Hashemi, Minister of Information and Communications Technology, told a supervisory session of the Parliament’s Industries Commission that internet disruptions inflict around $35.71 million in damages per day on businesses. (21 January)

 

Ali Hakim-Javadi, Head of the Iran Computer Trade Organisation, stated that the direct economic impact of internet outages is estimated at between $14.29 million and $21.43 million per day. (24 January)

 

These widely varying figures highlight the lack of consensus among policymakers and industry representatives over the true scale of economic losses caused by internet shutdowns.

 

Iran’s Internet Blackout: A Country Disconnected

WANA (Jan 17) – From the night of January 8, 2026, when international internet access was cut off for the fourth time in Iran’s history, the country’s population faced a new challenge. This time, the shutdown—described as a security measure following domestic unrest and external threats—not only severed millions of people’s connection with the outside […]

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