Between an ongoing internet blackout and the constant strain of war, Mariam sends messages in short bursts from her apartment in Tehran. Like other Iranians, she has been living under war conditions since the U.S.–Israeli strikes began. Iranian authorities have imposed a near-total nationwide internet shutdown, declaring the move a national security measure. To get online, people like Mariam pay exorbitant prices for black-market VPNs or rely on Starlink, often managing just a few minutes of