Congress presses Rubio to stop Iran internet blackout

The letter argued that bipartisan support for such U.S.-backed tools has remained strong over the past decades, but recent funding cuts must be restored if this support of Iranians’ internet freedom is to be sustained.

By Dinah Bucholz, Jewish Breaking News

Secretary of State Marco Rubio received a bipartisan congressional letter on Wednesday urging the United States to fund programs that would help keep Iran’s internet open.

The letter argued that the brave people of Iran risked their lives by taking to the streets and protest, and the regime responded by shutting down the internet and plunging the country into nationwide communications blackout, which allowed it to conceal brutal massacres from the rest of the world while also preventing Iranians from communicating with each other and showing the outside world the truth about Iran’s brutal crackdown.

“We write today in defense of America’s long-standing and bipartisan commitment to support programs that enable internet freedom for the people of Iran, which is more important than ever as the people of Iran protest against the regime in record numbers,” the letter read.

“In light of the current events in Iran, we urge the administration to surge resources to quickly enable critical internet freedom support to the largest pro-American population in the Muslim Middle East.”

Small groups of people managed to stay online using U.S.-backed VPNs and other U.S.-backed tools.

The letter argued that bipartisan support for such U.S.-backed tools has remained strong over the past decades, but recent funding cuts must be restored if this support of Iranians’ internet freedom is to be sustained.

Otherwise, Iranians will be forced to use government-provided resources, opening them up to the risk of government spying and putting their lives in danger.

“For over two decades, administrations from both parties have consistently invested in virtual private networks (VPNs) and anti-censorship technology programs to support the Iranian people,” the letter said, explaining the bipartisan nature of the programs.

“Specifically, U.S. funded programs … have all supported unrestricted access to the internet in Iran for its civilians,” the letter added, citing the bipartisan Iran Internet Freedom Act that provided $15 million per year for 2024 and 2025 to fund tools that allowed private internet access inside Iran.

“Without U.S. leadership, an entire generation of Iranians would have remained in the dark — and the most powerful source of pressure against the Islamic Republic, the Iranian people themselves, would have been neutralized,” the letter continued.

The letter further maintained that continued funding is in the best interest of the United States because the Iranian regime poses a national security threat due to its nuclear ambitions and its funneling of weaponry to Russia.

“As we watch brave Iranians take to the streets, it is clear that supporting the Iranian people’s access to information is not a partisan issue but a matter of national security, as well as meeting legislative requirements for a strategy for promoting internet freedom in Iran,” the letter concluded.

“In a world where the Islamic Republic talks of bolstering its nuclear and missile programs, threatens U.S. interests, and supplies drones to Russia to be used against U.S. partners in Europe, America cannot rely solely on military tools. The United States must pair its maximum pressure on the regime with maximum support for the Iranian people.”

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