Iran considers 'gradually' restoring internet after shutdown

Iranian authorities have said they are considering "gradually" restoring internet access after imposing an unprecedented communications shutdown 10 days ago, which rights groups say masked a violent protest crackdown that killed thousands.

Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years.

Iranian officials have said the demonstrations were peaceful before turning into "riots" and blamed foreign influence, namely from Iran's foes the United States and Israel.

The rallies subsided after the crackdown that rights groups have called a "massacre" carried out by security forces under the cover of a communications blackout that started on January 8 as the protests grew in size and intensity.

Government officials have said calm has been restored, with schools reopening on Sunday Iran's weekend falling on Thursday and Friday after a week of closure.

Late Saturday, the Tasnim news agency reported "the relevant authorities announced that internet access would also be gradually restored", but gave no further details.

Citing an unnamed "informed source", the agency said local messaging applications "will soon be activated" on Iran's domestic intranet.

By Sunday morning, the vast majority of internet providers and mobile internet remain cut.

Outgoing international calls have been possible since Tuesday, and text messaging was restored Saturday morning.

For days, text messages and international phone calls and at times even local calls were cut off.

Iran has since been relying on its intranet, which has supported local media websites, ride-hailing apps, delivery service and banking platforms.

- 'Overwhelmed' -

Despite the restrictions, information had still filtered out, with reports of atrocities emerging, according to rights groups.

Amnesty International said it had verified dozens of videos and accounts in recent days.

They showed "that security forces have been relentlessly firing at protesters from the streets and from elevated positions" and that hospitals had been "overwhelmed with the injured" in a "massacre of protesters", said Amnesty's Iran researcher Raha Bahreini in a video posted online.

Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR) says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces, confirming cases through sources within the Islamic republic's health and medical system, eyewitnesses and multiple independent sources.

However, the NGO warns the true toll is likely far higher. Media cannot independently confirm the figure and Iranian officials have not given an exact death toll for the protests.

Other estimates place the death toll at more than 5,000 and possibly as high as 20,000 though the internet blackout has severely hampered independent verification, IHR says.