Elon Musk Says He Will Seek Exemption from Iran Sanctions for Starlink Internet

People in Ukraine previously experienced Starlink’s satellite internet service when Russian attacks caused severe internet disruptions.

The Iranian government uses internet disruptions and outages as a tool to counter protests, including during the November 2019 protests when it cut off internet across the country for several days.

On Monday, amid renewed protests in various Iranian cities, reports emerged of renewed internet disruptions in some areas.

NetBlocks, a website that monitors internet disruptions worldwide, reported that internet connectivity in Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan Province, was almost completely cut off from 4 p.m. on Monday. The website attributed the internet outage in Sanandaj to the spread of protests over the death of Mahsa Amini during her arrest by the morality police.

Reports from some social media users also indicate that mobile internet from operator Hamrah-e Aval has been cut off in central Tehran.

Previously, Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said in May of this year that Washington supports the rights of the Iranian people to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression “both online and offline without fear of violence and retaliation.”

At that time, analysts interpreted this statement as a green light to SpaceX for providing Starlink internet services to Iran.

Source: Radio Farda