|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, confirmed on Saturday that he has activated Starlink satellite internet service for Iranians after the Islamic Republic imposed nationwide internet restrictions in the wake of Israeli airstrikes on Tehran.
The move comes amid escalating tensions in the region, following a wave of Israeli attacks targeting Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure late Friday night.
In response, Iranian authorities severely curtailed access to the internet, a move critics say was intended to suppress domestic dissent and prevent the spread of real-time information.
“In view of the special conditions of the country, temporary restrictions have been imposed on the country’s internet,” Iran’s Ministry of Communications said in a brief statement on Saturday morning, offering no clear timeline for when full connectivity would resume.
As images and videos circulated of anti-aircraft fire lighting up the skies of Tehran during the Israeli raids, Musk took to his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to confirm Starlink’s activation.
“Starlink is now active in Iran,” Musk wrote in a post, responding to mounting calls from Iranian activists and international observers for support in keeping the country connected to the outside world.
Starlink, a satellite-based internet constellation operated by SpaceX, offers high-speed broadband access via thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites.
Its decentralized nature makes it a particularly effective tool in areas where governments limit or control online communications.
The internet blackout comes at a time of growing unrest and rising calls for regime change in Iran. On Friday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Iranian people directly in a video statement, urging them to rise against the regime.
“Israel’s fight is not against the Iranian people,” Netanyahu said. “Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you.”
Echoing Netanyahu’s sentiments, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last monarch, also issued a powerful statement urging Iran’s armed forces and security apparatus to break with the clerical establishment.
In a message written in Persian and shared across his social media accounts, Pahlavi accused Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of dragging the nation into a war that does not reflect the will of the Iranian people.
“Do not be complicit in the crimes of this regime. Join your people in reclaiming Iran,” Pahlavi said, appealing to soldiers and officers to “stand with your nation, not its oppressors.”
The Israeli strikes, believed to be the most significant direct military operation targeting Iran to date, have heightened fears of a broader regional conflict. Iran’s air defenses were activated over several key locations, with unverified reports of explosions near suspected nuclear facilities.
As the situation unfolds, Musk’s activation of Starlink has offered a rare channel of connection to the outside world, empowering Iranians to bypass state-imposed censorship and share firsthand accounts of events on the ground.
Human rights groups have applauded the move, calling it a vital step in safeguarding freedom of information amid a deepening crisis.