Iran Tightens Starlink Crackdown, Calls It a 'Tool of War' Amid US-Israel Conflict

Tehran, Iran – Iranian officials have declared they will press ahead with a crackdown on Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service, alongside tightening restrictions on the internet more broadly as the country's conflict with the United States and Israel continues.

Starlink, which is not subject to the heavy filtering and restrictions Tehran imposes, is banned in Iran on national security grounds. Using the satellite internet service or distributing Starlink terminals can bring fines and prison sentences. It is one of several measures Iranian authorities have rolled out since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on the country on February 28, triggering a protracted war that has inflicted severe economic damage on all sides.

Iran's 90 million people have endured two large-scale, state-imposed nationwide internet shutdowns in 2026: one lasting three weeks during nationwide protests in January and another lasting 88 days at the start of the current war.

Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, secretary of the Supreme Cyberspace Council, described Starlink as a "tool of war" wielded by hostile powers. "This is a tool used by the enemy for command, control, surveillance and intelligence gathering. We have many systems to cut off Starlink terminals," he said, without detailing the measures or equipment being used. According to sources, one method was deployed during the January protests, and officials are ready to share the technology with like-minded countries.

Iran is among many countries that ban or restrict Starlink over national security concerns. The baseline sentence for using or possessing Starlink equipment is six months to two years in prison. Importing and distributing the devices can carry up to five years behind bars; if tied to national security or espionage charges, individuals can face the death penalty.

Aghamiri urged Iranians to use domestic platforms supported by what officials call the National Information Network. He also endorsed a tiered internet access model under which selected groups such as merchants, researchers and journalists could be granted protected international access during periods of internet restriction.

An internet and telecommunications expert in Tehran, speaking to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, said Iranian authorities use a combination of methods to block Starlink connections. These include deploying multiple jamming devices with different configurations to disrupt the service, along with GPS spoofing to prevent newly set-up devices from connecting. Authorities can also identify internet protocols linked to Starlink if they connect to domestic apps and services. In addition, they organize patrols and use drones to locate and block terminals, or raid locations selling the equipment.

In June, Israeli politician Naftali Bennett said Israel had smuggled tens of thousands of Starlink devices into Iran when he served as prime minister from 2021 to 2022, in order to support anti-government protesters.

Since 2023, Iran has also pursued the issue at the Radio Regulations Board of the International Telecommunication Union, seeking to pressure the US and Norway – which has a role in the legal file on the satellite network – to halt transmissions. On October 4, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned Norway's ambassador in Tehran to protest what it described as inaction over illegal Starlink activity.

At a governance meeting in late September, Deputy Technology Minister Mohammad Hafez Hakami warned officials that Starlink could be "the final nail in the coffin of Iran's cyberspace governance" if the service became widespread, given its ability to provide unrestricted internet access. He noted the government had previously blocked the Telegram messaging app after cost-of-living protests in 2017-2018, but had to impose a week-long internet shutdown for the first time during nationwide protests in 2019. WhatsApp and Instagram were blocked after the 2022-2023 protests, before near-total network blackouts during the January 2026 protests.

"If this trend continues, in the next crisis we will have to cut the power, because Starlink, as a new tool for evading state governance, essentially does not even depend on our network," Hakami said.

Starlink has helped Iranians send video of protests abroad since 2022 despite state restrictions. Tens of thousands of terminals are believed to have been smuggled into the country since then, though exact figures have not been determined.

Because of the risk of crackdowns, limited supply and financial cost, most people still cannot afford Starlink and must rely on the domestic internet – a network that blocks most international services and thousands of websites. US sanctions and banking restrictions further hinder Iranians' access to global services.

To get around the many barriers, most Iranians use virtual private networks (VPNs) and other methods to reach the free internet. However, these tools can slow connections, prove costly or create insecure links that threaten users' data, and become harder to access during state-imposed internet shutdowns.

According to officials, further restrictions could be imposed in the future if fighting escalates, after violence eased somewhat following a June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran – a document that later expired without achieving a permanent ceasefire.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said at a press conference on Tuesday that state agencies deliberately disrupt the internet to protect people and national assets from cyberattacks. "It is clear that given the importance of databases and internet-based services, decision-making bodies are sometimes forced to slow down the internet. We do not deny this issue," she said.

Officials maintain they have considered lifting restrictions on some platforms, though no action has been taken. Late on Tuesday, state-affiliated media published a framework document on policy and governance that Aghamiri of the cyberspace council said had been under review for nearly two years but kept confidential over security concerns.

The document sets no timeline for unblocking any platforms; media reports say implementation has stalled because of the war and protests. According to the document, Google Play and WhatsApp could be unblocked, while YouTube and Telegram would have to negotiate with Iran and accept certain conditions set by officials to be reopened – a step seen as highly unlikely for these social media platforms.