The United States smuggled thousands of Starlink terminals into Iran in January as the Iranian regime cut off internet service in the country as part of a brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal on Friday.
Starlink, a subsidiary of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is a satellite-internet network that can be accessed through small, portable Starlink terminals.
The US sent around 6,000 terminals to Iran in an unprecedented, direct attempt to deliver internet freedom to regime-stifled protestors, according to officials cited by the outlet.
The majority of the US State Department’s purchase of almost 7,000 terminals was made in January, utilizing funds diverted from similar “internet-freedom initiatives,” to “help anti-regime activists circumvent internet shut-offs in Iran,” officials told WSJ.
US explores internet freedom technology for Iran
Starlink terminals are just one of the methods the US has explored for expanding uncensored internet access for Iranians despite regime blackouts.
The US additionally funds virtual private networks (VPNs) for Iranians, and, according to the WSJ, there is some debate among US officials regarding whether Starlink or VPNs better protect Iranian internet freedom.
“Operating Starlink without VPNs would make it easier for Iranian authorities to geolocate the user,” US officials told the WSJ, adding that VPNs are “more accessible and cost-effective for a broader base of people. “
Mora Namdar, former head of the US State Department’s Middle East bureau, urged the US to expedite efforts to deliver Starlink to Iran as early as August 2025. VPNs, while useful, are “useless when the internet is shut down,” she wrote in a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump ‘aware’ of Starlink smuggling
US President Donald Trump was reportedly aware of the plan, but it is unknown if he directly approved the move.
In early January, shortly after the start of the regime-imposed internet blackout, Reuters reported that Trump and Musk had spoken about increasing Starlink usage in Iran.
Tens of thousands of Iranians utilize Starlink technology to “maintain contact with like-minded citizens and share information outside the control of government firewalls and censors,” the report noted.
Owning a Starlink terminal, however, is illegal under the Iranian regime. The homes and roofs of Iranian suspected of utilizing them are frequently searched by authorities, the WSJ reported.
On January 27, Iranian law enforcement confiscated more than 50 terminals, labelling the Starlink devices “anti-security goods.”
Possessing and distributing terminals is illegal in Iran, putting users at risk of imprisonment.