Reuters: US sought to activate Starlink in Iran after strikes

TEHRAN – Successive US administrations have repeatedly asked SpaceX to activate or disable its Starlink satellite internet service in different countries to advance Washington’s foreign policy objectives, including requests to provide internet access inside Iran following US-Israeli strikes, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing six former senior US officials familiar with the matter. According to the report, the administration of former US President Joe Biden asked SpaceX to activate Starlink in Iran during protests in September 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini. A former senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration and another person familiar with the matter told Reuters that the administration also discussed activating Starlink in Iran following US-Israeli strikes in June 2025 and February 2026, with the stated aim of expanding internet access and communications for anti-government protesters. The report said neither the Trump administration nor SpaceX had publicly confirmed whether the terminals involved in the latest discussions were activated. It also cited a February report by The Wall Street Journal that the US government had sent thousands of Starlink terminals into Iran. The revelations come as Iran has formally protested the unauthorized operation of Starlink terminals on its territory, accusing Norway of failing to take effective action and raising concerns about the use of foreign satellite communications infrastructure by the United States and Israel. Iran protests Norway’s inaction over Starlink On October 4, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned Norwegian Ambassador to Tehran Paul Bjornstad to convey Tehran’s formal protest over the continued operation of unauthorized Starlink terminals inside Iran. According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Mohammad Hassan-Nejad Pirkoohi, the ministry’s director general for international peace and security, told the Norwegian envoy that the United States and Israel were exploiting Starlink’s satellite communications infrastructure to pursue interventionist activities against Iran. The Iranian official criticized Norway for failing to fulfill its responsibilities as one of the administrations involved in registering the Starlink network with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). He called on Oslo to take immediate and effective measures to halt unauthorized transmissions within Iranian territory and handed the ambassador a formal note of protest. According to Tehran Times, the dispute had been under consideration by the ITU’s Radio Regulations Board since 2023. According to documents published by the international telecommunications body, Iran has repeatedly reported unauthorized Starlink operations within its territory. The board has repeatedly called on Norway and the United States to take appropriate action to stop unauthorized transmissions, including by having the satellite operator remotely disable terminals operating without permission where necessary. At its 98th meeting, the board concluded that there was evidence of unauthorized Starlink transmissions inside Iran and urged Norway to take measures within its capacity to stop them. It also asked Norway and the United States to explain why terminals operating without authorization in Iran could not be disabled in the same way as terminals in several other countries. At its 101st meeting, the board concluded that Norway’s actions did not comply with relevant ITU resolutions and Article 18 of the Radio Regulations. However, it said it lacked the authority to suspend frequency assignments to satellite systems on the grounds that the administration responsible for notifying the network had failed to comply with the rules. Tehran has maintained that the continued operation of Starlink terminals without authorization violates Iran’s sovereignty and national security. The dispute also highlights questions over the responsibilities of governments involved in registering satellite networks and the ability of operators to prevent services from being provided in countries where they are not authorized. Starlink and US foreign policy Reuters reported that the Biden administration also asked SpaceX to disable terminals allegedly used by Yemen’s Houthi movement and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Former US officials said the administration shared intelligence with the company concerning the possible use of diverted Starlink terminals by the two groups and requested that the devices be identified and deactivated. At least some terminals were subsequently switched off, according to two of the officials. The disclosures have renewed questions about the extent to which US administrations rely on Elon Musk’s privately owned company to implement foreign policy and security objectives. SpaceX did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on the reported requests concerning Iran. For Tehran, the issue extends beyond internet access to the regulation of satellite communications and the use of foreign technology inside Iranian territory without authorization. Iranian officials have repeatedly called on the countries responsible for the Starlink network’s registration, as well as its operator, to ensure that the service complies with international telecommunications regulations and Iran’s requirement for authorization.