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On Friday, SpaceX founder, Elon Musk, turned on Starlink in Iran. Signaling in a tweet to Secretary of State Antony Blinken that he will make the satellite internet system available in Iran.

Starlink satellites are already passing over Iran where they appear as a string of lights flying in tandem.  This is good news for the embattled citizens of Iran.

 Disruptions on the internet were widely reported throughout Iran. Mobile internet access has been cut in the capital city of Tehran. Extremely slow speeds on broadband connections are also reported. Netblocks, the internet watchdog, announced Wednesday that access to the popular platform Instagram is also being restricted.

Starlink has just been enabled to provide satellite internet inside Iran.  

Normally the activation of Starlink requires the approval of each country. In Iran, the US has authorized SpaceX to activate the service without Iran’s permission.

Starlink in Iran to aid communications

Violent protests continue throughout the country after the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police aka the Basij militia. 

The Basij units are feared and hated by most of the citizens. The protests over the last two weeks are the first directed towards them. It is uncertain if the massive uprising will be successful. Iran has a highly authoritarian government. And it stays in power by using security forces like the Basij.

The government militias, under the command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. are used to violently disperse any protests.  The cleric class, who runs the country with an iron fist, also controls communications with the outside world. By restricting internet usage internally, they are disrupting and, in some cases, shutting down communications of the protestors.   

SpaceX recently deployed Starlink on an emergency basis in Ukraine. 

Last Monday, Elon Musk tweeted that SpaceX would seek exemptions from sanctions and try to provide Starlink in Iran.

In a bipartisan response, several lawmakers, including Reps. Claudia Tenney of New York and Tom Malinowski of New Jersey asked the Treasury Department to approve SpaceX's request. And they urged SpaceX to proceed to make its satellite-based Starlink internet service available in Iran. 

US Sanctions

The US Treasury sanctioned the Basij on Thursday. It is alleging the group is committing violence against women. And has a history of violating the rights of peaceful protesters. 

official Sanctions were also placed on seven senior leaders of Iran’s military, law enforcement, and intel units. The US claims these entities use violence to suppress what would otherwise be peaceful protests.