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Iran Cracks Down on Starlink Users as Protests Spread Nationwide
Iranian authorities target Starlink satellite connections to suppress live protest videos, while President Trump considers sending additional terminals to support information flow
Iran Cracks Down on Starlink Users – Iranian authorities are intensifying efforts to locate and confiscate Starlink satellite dishes in Tehran, aiming to prevent videos of ongoing protests from reaching a global audience, according to The Wall Street Journal. Footage captured in the streets remains one of the few ways to verify the scale of demonstrations and monitor government actions.
The Starlink service, operated by Elon Musk, is illegal in Iran. Amir Rashidi, director of digital rights and security at the U.S.-based non-profit Miaan Group, described the crackdown as “an electronic war,” noting that the efforts are particularly aggressive in western Tehran and during evenings, when large crowds gather for protests.
The crackdown comes as President Donald Trump prepares to be briefed on options for supporting the flow of information from Iran. One option under consideration is sending additional Starlink terminals into the country. Trump has reportedly indicated that he will seek input from Musk regarding the feasibility of such a move. Starlink terminals are smuggled into Iran through clandestine routes, including small boats from Dubai and overland through the Iraqi Kurdistan border. The influx of terminals increased following the 2022 wave of protests, after Musk announced plans to request exemptions from U.S. sanctions for Starlink equipment.
Iran has blocked most Internet connections for the country’s 90 million citizens since the protests began on December 28 over rising living costs and quickly spread to over 100 cities nationwide. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, co-founder of Norway-based Iran Human Rights, said Starlink access remains “the only way” to transmit footage of protests in cities such as Mashhad.
Starlink users in Tehran report uploading videos of demonstrations recorded by relatives and sending them to trusted third parties abroad for publication on social media. Users conceal their connections and share footage only with trusted individuals to avoid detection. Despite the Iranian government’s efforts to disrupt the service, access has slowed but not stopped.
Mehdi Yahyanejad, co-founder of NetFreedom Pioneers, explained that when connections are stable—often in the morning or around noon—users transmit as many videos as possible. NetFreedom has sent thousands of Starlink kits to nonprofit organizations in Iran, with additional units obtained through commercial intermediaries.
The crackdown underscores the Iranian government’s determination to control information during widespread civil unrest, highlighting Starlink’s role as a critical tool for citizens and activists seeking to bypass domestic censorship and bring attention to the demonstrations.
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