Iran's internet blackout silences voices at home as diaspora creators fill the void

Iranian American creators try to provide perspectives on the war, but the government's internet shutdown makes it nearly impossible to reliably survey opinions inside Iran.

Mar. 17, 2026 at 7:18pm

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The internet blackout imposed by the Iranian government has stifled almost all communications from the country, making it nearly impossible for Iranian American social media creators to reliably survey perspectives on the escalating conflict from inside Iran. This has amplified the voices of Iranian American creators, who are now explaining the nation's complicated history and the conflicting desires of its citizens in succinct videos that are widely shared online. However, some creators and observers say the disproportionate influence of voices outside of Iran has exacerbated deep rifts in the diaspora.

Why it matters

The absence of firsthand accounts from Iran has led to a surge in online activity from Iranian American creators, who are now playing a major role in shaping the narrative around the war. This has raised concerns about the circulation of emotions rather than factual information, as well as the potential for disinformation to thrive in the absence of reliable reporting from inside the country.

The details

Iranian American creator Ariana Afshar has tried to produce commentary about the first weeks of the war based on the perspectives of people in Iran, but the internet blackout has made it nearly impossible to reliably survey those views. This has amplified the voices of Iranian American creators, who are now explaining the nation's complicated history and the conflicting desires of its citizens in succinct videos that are widely shared online. Some creators support the war, while others have pointed to obliterated infrastructure and mounting casualties as a warning of more carnage to come. The lack of firsthand accounts from Iran has also led to the proliferation of disinformation, including fake firsthand accounts and videos claiming Iran was behind a strike on an elementary school.

  • In the first week of March, online searches like 'why are we at war with iran' increased by 3,000% according to Google Search Trends.

The players

Ariana Afshar

An Iranian American social media creator based in New York who has roughly 350,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok.

Babak Rahimi

An Iranian professor of culture, religion and technology at the University of California San Diego.

Houman Hemmati

An Iranian American who supports the war and left Iran with his Persian Jewish family after the 1979 revolution. He has more than 83,000 followers on the social platform X and speaks regularly on Fox News.

Ciara Moezidis

A 26-year-old social media creator who was born in the United States and has extended family in Iran. Her Instagram following has increased by 2,000 people since January when she started posting in support of Iranian protesters and against a war.

Zoya Biglary

An Iranian American content creator with over 600,000 Instagram followers who hopes Iranians will eventually be able to see the outpouring of support for their struggle.

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What they’re saying

“I think it's a huge problem among the Iranian diaspora, where they speak for Iranians a lot. I don't want to fall into that.”

— Ariana Afshar

“The outside media, especially Iranian diaspora, are playing a major role. It's the kind of role that is not about really information, but it's mostly about the circulation of emotions.”

— Babak Rahimi, Iranian professor of culture, religion and technology at the University of California San Diego

“All it takes is for just a little bit to leak out, and those images and stories go viral.”

— Houman Hemmati

“It's been incredibly exhausting to navigate this while seeing bombs drop across Iran and not being able to reach our families.”

— Ciara Moezidis, 26-year-old social media creator

“Maybe they're looking for proof that someone on the outside kind of sees their humanity.”

— Zoya Biglary, Iranian American content creator with over 600,000 Instagram followers

The takeaway

The internet blackout imposed by the Iranian government has severely limited the ability of citizens to share firsthand accounts and perspectives on the ongoing conflict, leading to a disproportionate influence of voices from the Iranian diaspora. This has raised concerns about the spread of disinformation and the potential for the narrative around the war to be shaped more by emotion than facts.