Using Tor in Iran — Circumvent Internet Censorship

Iran's internet censorship is managed by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace and enforced through the Telecommunications Infrastructure Company (TIC), which controls all international internet gateways. The government blocks access to thousands of websites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Telegram, and most international news outlets. Iran also operates the National Information Network (NIN, also known as the 'halal internet') — a domestic intranet designed to replace the global internet.

During the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, Iran imposed near-total internet shutdowns in multiple provinces, throttled mobile data to unusable speeds, and specifically targeted VPN and Tor traffic. The government uses DPI technology supplied by both domestic and Chinese firms to identify and block circumvention tools. Tor's public relay IP addresses are blocked, and the authorities actively scan for bridge connections.

Despite these measures, Tor usage surges during every crackdown. The Tor Project reported a significant increase in Iranian bridge users during the 2022 protests, demonstrating that Tor remains one of the few tools capable of piercing Iran's censorship during the most critical moments.

Standard Tor connections are blocked in Iran. You must use pluggable transports to connect. The following configurations have proven effective:

Snowflake: Snowflake is highly effective in Iran because it uses WebRTC peer-to-peer connections routed through volunteer proxies. Iran's DPI systems have difficulty blocking Snowflake without also blocking legitimate WebRTC applications. Enable Snowflake in Tor Browser's connection settings and allow it time to find available proxies — initial connections may take 30-60 seconds during heavy censorship periods.

obfs4 Bridges: Private obfs4 bridges remain functional in Iran when public bridges are blocked. Request bridges via email ([email protected] from a Gmail address) or through the Tor Project's Telegram bot (@GetBridgesBot). Rotate bridges frequently, as Iranian authorities actively probe and block discovered bridges.

Snowflake + obfs4 Fallback: Configure Tor Browser with Snowflake as the primary transport and private obfs4 bridges as fallback. This ensures connectivity even if one method is temporarily disrupted during a censorship escalation.

Using a VPN alongside Tor provides an additional layer of protection for users in Iran. Connect to a reliable VPN first — preferably one that supports obfuscated protocols like Shadowsocks or WireGuard with obfuscation — then launch Tor Browser. This hides your Tor usage from your ISP and the TIC's monitoring systems.

Choose VPN providers that have a track record of working in Iran and that do not cooperate with Iranian authorities. Look for providers based in privacy-friendly jurisdictions that accept cryptocurrency payments. Avoid free VPNs, many of which have been found to be honeypots operated by or cooperating with government agencies.

During internet shutdowns, when international connectivity is cut entirely, neither VPNs nor Tor will function. In these situations, mesh networking tools like Briar (which works over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct) may be the only option for local communication. However, as soon as any international connectivity is restored — even at severely throttled speeds — Tor with Snowflake is typically among the first tools to regain functionality.

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