Iran Vows Tougher Crackdown on Starlink as Internet Controls Tighten
Iran says it will keep cracking down on Starlink satellite internet and put more limits on the global internet.
The pledge was reported Oct. 14, eight months into a war that started when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. It follows two long state-ordered shutdowns of the global internet in 2026: three weeks during nationwide protests in January and 88 days at the start of the war Al Jazeera.
The latest comments came from Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Cyberspace Council. Aghamiri called Starlink a "tool of war" for enemies. He said it is used for command and control by the enemy and for espionage and information gathering, and said Iran has several systems to shut off Starlink terminals, the small dishes users need to connect.
Starlink is banned in Iran on national security grounds. Using or sharing satellite internet equipment can lead to fines and prison. Unlike Iranian networks, Elon Musk's Starlink does not pass through Tehran's heavy filtering and blocks.
The punishments are six months to two years for using or holding Starlink equipment, up to five years for importing and sharing the devices, and a possible death sentence when linked to national security or espionage charges.
Tehran links the equipment to outside help for unrest and wartime communication. In June, Israeli politician Naftali Bennett claimed Israel had smuggled tens of thousands of Starlink devices into Iran while he was prime minister between 2021 and 2022 to help anti-government protesters. Regional coverage noted the remarks, with Iran International headlining its Oct. 13 report "Iran official calls Starlink a tool of war" Iran International.
On diplomacy, Iran has since 2023 raised the Starlink issue at the Radio Regulations Board of the International Telecommunication Union, the U.N. body that sets rules for radio signals, to press the U.S. and Norway to stop transmissions. On Oct. 4, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the Norwegian ambassador in Tehran to protest what it called a failure to act over unauthorized Starlink operations Al Jazeera.
Inside Iran, officials are pairing enforcement with a push for home-grown systems. Aghamiri urged Iranians to use domestic platforms supported by the National Information Network, Iran's state-run domestic internet, and backed a tiered-access plan that would give protected international access to selected groups such as traders, researchers and journalists during restrictions. ICT Minister Hashemi said the use of Starlink and satellite constellations has become a serious challenge ICT Ministry.
Tehran also claims stronger technical ability to block the service. Iran has developed technical capabilities to identify and disrupt unauthorized Starlink service Tehran Times.
A separate dispute over Starlink control emerged Oct. 14 over Ukraine. Ukraine said limits by SpaceX on Starlink operations were disrupting military missions. Officials reported limits affecting the military-grade version of Starlink at speeds above 160 km/h Reuters.
The broader context here is a clash between low-earth-orbit satellite networks and a country's control over the airwaves above its territory. Tehran treats unauthorized signals beamed down inside Iran as a violation under ITU Radio Regulations, while Washington and Oslo have not publicly accepted a duty to stop transmissions. Enforcement inside Iran depends on finding terminals, locating them and seizing them, which is hard at scale because the units are small, mobile and easy to hide. Tiered access through the National Information Network is an attempt to lower economic and professional costs of blackouts without restoring open connection.
Looking at what this means for the next phase, three points matter. First, whether ITU proceedings place any practical limit on Starlink or stay a pressure channel. Second, whether Iran's claimed cutoff systems can degrade service faster than smuggling and new activations replace it. Third, whether criminal charges deter use or push it further underground as wartime demand for unfiltered connection grows. Ukraine's parallel complaint about limits at speed shows another side of the same dependence: even approved military users still operate within limits set by the operator.
