Iranian authorities are targeting Starlink users to prevent the leak of footage from deadly protests over Iran’s widening economic crisis, human rights groups say.
Public internet was cut last week amid anti-regime protests, leaving Starlink, created by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX as one of the few ways to share images from the demonstrations.
Over the weekend, authorities began searching for and confiscating Starlink dishes in western Tehran, according to Amir Rashidi, director of digital rights and security at Miaan Group, a U.S. nonprofit opposed to internet censorship.
Starlink remains illegal in Iran, but rights groups say they have smuggled thousands of terminals into the country.
According to a Forbes report published Tuesday, Iran has begun deploying military jammers, reportedly supplied by Russia, to block access to Starlink internet as protesters increasingly rely on the service.
“The blackout has also reached satellite connections.” Iran Wire said in its report. According to the news outlet, disruptions affected about 30 percent of Starlink’s uplink and downlink traffic, quickly rising “to more than 80 percent” within hours.
President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he plans to speak with Musk about boosting Starlink’s connectivity in Iran.
“He’s very good at that kind of thing, he’s got a very good company,” Trump told reporters.
SpaceX previously worked with former President Joe Biden’s administration to support Starlink access in Iran in 2022, during protests following the death of Mahsa Amini. Amini, a 22-year-old woman, was hospitalized and later died after being detained by Iran’s morality police for a dress code violation.
