Amid the ongoing shutdown of international internet access and widespread disruption to the free flow of information in Iran, the country’s Press Supervisory Board has also ordered the closure of the newspaper Ham-Mihan.
Mohammad-Javad Rouh, editor-in-chief of Ham-Mihan, stated that the newspaper was suspended due to the publication of two articles related to the anti-government protests in Iran.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has cut off international internet connectivity and imposed extensive disruptions across domestic communication networks—including mobile phones—in response to the spread of anti-regime protests. According to reports from Netblocks, the global internet observatory, the internet blackout and severe communication disruptions, which began 12 days ago, remain in effect.
Iran is currently experiencing the most unprecedented information blackout in the history of the Islamic Republic. From the earliest days of 2026, the Iranian government’s initial response to the anti-government protests by citizens was to impose an unparalleled cutoff of the free flow of information, plunging the country into digital darkness. Authorities severed international internet access, halted domestic and international phone calls, and caused widespread interference across all communication networks in Iran.
According to the annual report by the Defending Free Flow of Information Organization (DeFFI), Iranian journalists and media outlets are enduring an exceptionally severe period of security pressures, judicial actions, and deliberate interference in their professional activities—a situation the organization has described as a “military posture against the free flow of information.” In 2025 alone, at least 225 journalists and media outlets faced judicial or security measures; 25 journalists or media managing directors were sentenced to a combined total of over 30 years in prison and 293 million tomans in fines; at least 148 new judicial cases were opened against journalists and media; and eight media outlets were suspended.