Iran International
Many Iranians have been forced onto distrusted domestic apps after authorities cut global internet access, disrupting education and business while exposing users to slow speeds, censorship and surveillance fears.
Most affected are businesses reliant on Instagram and other global services, but even users pushed onto domestic platforms described repeated outages, poor functionality and heavy censorship on apps such as Rubika, Bale and Shad.
One citizen said Rubika often fails to send photos and videos for much of the day and alleged the platform checks users’ phone galleries. Another said uploading a single image on Rubika can take an hour.
Citizens also raised concerns that domestic applications could expose their data and devices to state monitoring.
Internet monitoring group NetBlocks said Thursday that 69 days of widespread international internet disruption in Iran had fueled unemployment among workers and redistributed wealth in favor of groups aligned with the government.
Education disrupted
Dozens of students, parents and several teachers said Shad, Iran’s state-run online education platform, does not allow users to properly download photos and videos and does not provide a suitable environment for teaching.
“The children’s classes are online, but the application is designed so only the teacher can speak,” the mother of one student said.
“If a student has a question or does not understand something, they have to wait until five in the afternoon, when student access is reopened. In reality, students are present in the online class, but even if they are absent the teacher does not notice. The entire education process depends solely on parental supervision.”
Some teachers continue to expect students to produce clips and upload them despite low internet speeds, users said.
The problem of accessing information through domestic networks has also affected university students.
A computer student in Tehran said: “Neither the online classes have quality nor can you find anything worth learning in the ‘dictatorship information network.’”
Students said online learning and access to professors’ teaching materials have effectively come to a halt.
Costly barriers
With Instagram blocked by the state, many Iranians have lost a free channel to market goods and services, while domestic apps such as Rubika and Bale charge high advertising fees and impose lengthy, censorship-driven approval processes, citizens said.
Several citizens said Rubika charges business owners about 63 million tomans, roughly $359 at the current open-market exchange rate, for 15 minutes of advertising.
She pointed to what she described as the government’s contradictory treatment of insiders and outsiders in recent months, saying the Islamic Republic used women without compulsory hijab or women with looser dress to promote pro-government nighttime gatherings during and after the war, while rejecting a short advertisement because an elbow was visible for a few seconds.
One female business owner said she was forced to advertise on a domestic app after two months without work so she could sell goods left in her inventory.
“Before approving my channel they took my money, but then rejected my ad with the excuse that my activity on the app was low and my elbow was visible in the video,” she said.
The female business owner added that when she called to ask for the advertising fee back, she was told the money would remain in her wallet until she “fixed the video and channel.”
“So I have to work on an empty channel for several months, bring in goods and invest, just for an empty channel, so maybe they will approve my ad?” she said.
“I spent eight years on Instagram and put time into building my page, but with the internet cutoff I effectively came to a halt. How am I supposed to start again?”
Another user referred to the “thousands of rules and clauses domestic apps have imposed for advertising” and said the platform took “a huge amount of money” before saying it would not advertise an “underwear channel.”
“What am I supposed to do with all this merchandise?” the user said. “Set myself on fire or burn the goods? My business was on Instagram. Restore the internet so I can go back to work.”
A user on X had earlier written that searching for “women’s underwear” on Zarebin, a search engine promoted as Iran’s domestic version of Google, leads to a “no results found” page, while searching for “men’s underwear” produces meaningful results.
“With the national internet, you cannot even buy women’s underwear. It is both ridiculous and tragic,” the user wrote.
Other users said people had turned “out of necessity” and because of the two-month internet cutoff to the Islamic Republic’s “fake” networks such as Bale and Rubika, but said it remained unclear how much access the government could gain through the platforms to citizens’ phones and whether it could monitor or surveil their devices.
Efforts to bypass censorship
Despite the imposed restrictions, users said they continue to find ways to bypass content censorship.
Several citizens said that after access to Telegram was blocked, several channels appeared on local apps such as Soroush Plus, Rubika and Bale offering free or low-cost configurations to bypass filtering.
“They nationalized the internet to gather supporters for the government, but exactly the opposite is happening,” one user said.
Users said this contrasted with content circulated by government-linked figures and channels, which they described as including false claims about the Islamic Republic winning the war with the United States and Israel, false reports of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s death and inaccurate accounts of negotiations.
One user said government-linked content on Rubika portrays the Islamic Republic as defined by “peace, friendship and human rights.”
Despite the government’s efforts to keep the platforms tightly controlled, accounts using the Lion and Sun as profile pictures have appeared. The historic Iranian national emblem is associated by many with the pre-1979 monarchy.
Other accounts have used portraits of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, as profile pictures.
Citizens said such accounts, as well as channels reposting news from the outside world, are blocked and banned after some time.
Still, they said daily resistance continues, with new and larger channels replacing those that are shut down.
Trump said there was “never a deadline” for negotiations and suggested an agreement could still emerge before his planned trip to China next week, while also keeping open the possibility of renewed strikes.
His remarks followed an Axios report saying the White House believes a one-page memorandum to end the war may be within reach and could create a framework for broader nuclear talks within 30 days.
The reaction from Iranians inside and outside the country exposed deep divisions over diplomacy, military pressure and expectations surrounding Trump’s approach toward the Islamic Republic.
Comments show fatigue and distrust
Many people writing or speaking to Iran International described emotional exhaustion after months of war, economic pressure and shifting rhetoric from Washington.
“Mr. Trump, either fight like a man or leave us alone. You’ve exhausted us,” one person from Arak wrote.
Another questioned why discussions that could shape Iran’s future appeared to be taking place privately.
“If the fate of the Iranian people is being decided through this agreement, why is it happening behind closed doors?” the sender wrote. “People have the right to know what concessions are being exchanged.”
A citizen from Shiraz described the current moment as existential for many Iranians.
“The nation has endured years of sanctions and pressure and paid the price in blood like a war,” the comment read. “Every single day of delay is a matter of life and death.”
Others focused on the humanitarian and psychological toll of the conflict.
“Trump said help was on the way, but not only did no help come, the attacks led to two months of internet shutdowns,” one person wrote. “People suffered, people were killed and we became poorer.”
Another from Mashhad urged Iranians to rely on each other rather than foreign powers or the government.
“In this situation, neither the government nor America is thinking about the people,” the message said. “We Iranians should look after each other.”
Some appealed directly to opposition figures abroad.
One from Tehran called on exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi to speak with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “so people do not lose hope.”
Others argued the confrontation remained unresolved regardless of diplomacy or ceasefire efforts.
“This battle is not over and it continues,” one person wrote. “Whether there is war, ceasefire or negotiations, the conflict still continues.”
‘Iranians lack representation in talks’
Asieh Amini, a Norway-based social affairs analyst speaking to Iran International, said assessing public opinion inside Iran has become increasingly difficult because internet restrictions and censorship have narrowed the available space for measuring sentiment.
“When we talk about the reaction of the Iranian people, naturally we should rely on polling or evidence,” Amini said. “Unfortunately because of internet shutdowns, even the virtual space that could provide a relative statistical picture no longer exists.”
Amini argued that Iran is simultaneously experiencing two separate conflicts: one between the Islamic Republic and foreign powers, and another between the Iranian state and its own citizens.
“One side has a loud voice in international media – those opposing war and criticizing Trump and Netanyahu,” Amini said. “But the second conflict, which many believe is the main war inside Iran, has no representative in these negotiations.”
Amini described that internal struggle as a long-running confrontation marked by executions, repression, internet shutdowns and economic pressure.
“The main victims are defenseless Iranian people,” Amini said, adding that many Iranians now feel excluded from decisions that could shape their future.
Discussing the possible domestic impact of any agreement, Amini said economic hardship has overtaken nearly every other public concern inside Iran.
“The issue is no longer simply poverty,” she said. “Many people’s incomes have reached zero or below zero. People are surviving off savings if they have any left.”
Amini said many Iranians who once hoped for stronger international intervention have become increasingly disillusioned.
“Despair is the first thing reflected back from society,” she said. “People feel abandoned.”
Users accuse Trump of inconsistency
Posts circulating on X reflected a broader and often harsher backlash, with many accusing Trump of worsening conditions inside Iran without producing meaningful political change.
One widely shared post listed what the writer described as the results of Trump’s “half-finished war”: internet blackouts, inflation, unemployment, declining incomes, poverty, intensified repression, executions and worsening mental health conditions.
Another user wrote that hearing phrases such as “agreement,” “negotiations” and “we’ll see what happens” now caused disgust after months of uncertainty.
Some posts argued Trump had weakened US credibility by alternating between military threats and diplomacy.
“Trump destroyed the reputation and military credibility of America as a superpower,” one user wrote.
Another accused Washington of trapping “90 million people between sanctions and clerics” after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal only to pursue negotiations again years later.
Several users dismissed the latest reports of possible diplomacy as unrealistic given the scale of disagreements between Washington and Tehran.
One post summarized what it described as Washington’s demands – ending enrichment, dismantling nuclear facilities and transferring enriched uranium abroad – before concluding that the Islamic Republic would never accept such terms.
“If you think these two sides will reach an agreement, then maybe I’m the one who thinks differently,” the post read.
Others suggested the latest reports were intended mainly to stabilize markets and calm fears of renewed conflict.
“The whole Axios story looks like a game to control the markets,” one wrote.
‘Washington balancing pressure, diplomacy’
Amir Hamidi, a national security specialist speaking to Iran International, said Trump’s latest comments appeared aimed at maintaining pressure on Tehran while leaving room for diplomacy.
“Recent remarks by President Trump about giving the Islamic Republic a final opportunity reflect a calculated strategy by the United States,” Hamidi said. “A strategy that preserves maximum pressure while keeping the final diplomatic path open.”
Hamidi said Washington was attempting to present itself as avoiding war while pressuring Tehran politically, economically and diplomatically.
“The message from Washington is clear,” Hamidi said. “There is still a path for negotiations and preventing crisis, but this opportunity cannot be unlimited.”
According to Hamidi, Trump is also seeking to frame the United States as responding to regional instability rather than initiating conflict.
“The United States wants to show that it is not the side starting wars,” he said, adding that Washington’s stated objective remains changing what it sees as destabilizing regional behavior by Tehran.
Netanyahu praised
A large number of posts contrasted Trump with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was often portrayed as more committed to confronting the Islamic Republic militarily.
“Finish the job, Bibi,” several users wrote in English and Persian.
One argued Trump “can never match Bibi,” while another said Israel appeared more determined than Washington to maintain pressure on Tehran.
“The goal of Israel is the destruction of the Islamic Republic,” one post read. “That’s why they stay calm despite America’s mixed signals.”
Some argued any agreement that preserves the current political system in Iran would ultimately fail and damage US deterrence globally.
“If America gives concessions to the Islamic Republic and leaves, then Washington must say goodbye to its deterrence,” one person wrote.
Another argued Tehran would eventually resume efforts toward nuclear weapons capability if it survives the current confrontation intact.
“Immediately after surviving this war, the regime will go toward the atomic bomb,” the user wrote.
Calls for restraint compete with despair
Not all reactions condemned Trump outright. Some users argued Washington’s softer rhetoric may reflect tactical calculations rather than retreat.
“One should not panic or insult Trump for now,” one post said, arguing the administration’s priority appeared to be securing Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
Another urged people to avoid emotional swings driven by daily headlines.
“We should not judge too quickly or expect too much,” the user wrote.
The facility, including a power substation and an alloy steel production line, was hit twice during Israeli-US attacks earlier this year, causing major disruptions to production and operations at the complex.
The report said only about 2,000 employees – mainly management and administrative staff – have returned to the site since the attacks during the war involving Iran, the US and Israel that began in late February.
Many workers have reported a sharp drop in income. Specialized technical staff who previously earned more than 100 million tomans a month – about 1 billion rials, or roughly $568 – are now receiving wages close to the legal minimum, around one-fifth of their previous pay, according to the report.
The pay cuts come as management seeks state support and unemployment insurance. Workers told Rouydad24 they fear these reduced wage calculations will permanently lower their future insurance benefits if formal mass layoffs are eventually finalized.
From steel production to the gig economy
With production lines largely inactive, a labor exodus is underway. Many former steelworkers in Isfahan have turned to driving for ride-hailing platforms to survive, while others have migrated to factories in Yazd and Khorasan provinces in search of steady work.
The uncertainty has triggered a surge in online job-seeking channels specifically for former Mobarakeh project workers. This shift highlights a deepening labor crisis in a sector that was already struggling with skilled worker emigration before the conflict began.
Mobarakeh Steel is one of Iran’s most strategic and profitable assets, and experts warn the fallout could destabilize the broader economy. Current estimates suggest it will take at least four years for the facility to return to its pre-war operating capacity.
While the head of the government’s information office insists that salaries for over 30,000 workers are being paid in full, the company’s own public relations office was more cautious, telling Rouydad24 that while they could not confirm specific allegations, "war conditions naturally change everything."
