National shutdown
Iraqi authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended on the morning of 3 July 2025 between 6:00 and 7:45 local time (+3 UTC). This national shutdown is the latest in an expected series during the high school exams, the exams were initially scheduled to end on this day, but it was extended to 5 July.
- Total Duration 1 hour
Iraq
- Population
- 46,042,015
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Local impact
The shutdown follows an announcement by Iraq's Ministry of Communication on 19 May 2025 stating that they will enact the Ministry of Education's request to suspend Internet services on exam days as part of its efforts to prevent cheating, there was no newer announcement for this series of exams.
This national shutdown is the latest in an expected series during the high school exams, which last until 5 July.
Iraqi officials have ordered more than 80 Internet shutdowns over the past two years, all of which were related to exams either in wider Iraq or in the Kurdistan region.
Related documentation
A screenshot of an announcement on the Ministry of Communications website on 19 May 2025 regarding planned Internet shutdowns related to exam period.
Below is a screenshot of the Iraq High School exam schedule happening from 14 June to 3 July 2025 as per the Iraqi ministry of education page on Facebook, followed by an updated schedule extending the exams to 5 July.
Based on the exam schedules below, we except the disruptions to run on exam days until 3 July and not on 5 July as per the exams schedule as the last exam, French Language, is open to students of special schools, and not to all students.
Other supporting information
Cloudflare Radar and IODA recorded drops in Internet traffic on 3 July 2025 from 3:00 UTC (6:00 local time) to 4:45 UTC (7:45 local time).
