Activists say SpaceX has made Starlink satellite internet service free in Iran after the regime imposed a broad internet blackout, a move that could blunt Tehran's effort to choke off protest images and outside reporting as the death toll and detention numbers cited by human rights groups keep climbing.
The claim that Starlink service is now free in Iran has been circulated by activists and was reported by The Associated Press, which said SpaceX has not announced the change and did not respond to a request for comment.
NetFreedom Pioneers, a technology nonprofit working on Iranian internet access, said SpaceX waived fees so Iranians who have Starlink terminals can connect without paying a subscription fee.
The group described Starlink as critical during the shutdown.
"Right now, Starlink is the only viable mode of communication for those on the ground because it is independent of the Iranian government; however, the number of devices in the country is still limited compared to the need," the group said in a statement to The Hill on Wednesday.
NetFreedom Pioneers also said cellular and landline networks were facing "persistent disruptions."
The organization has separately asked supporters to help fund and move Starlink terminals into Iran.
Iran's government imposed sweeping connectivity restrictions as protests spread and security forces moved to suppress them.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported the death toll in the crackdown at more than 2,500 and detentions above 18,000, figures AP said it could not independently verify because of the communications blackout.
Iranian officials have cast the unrest in security terms and blamed foreign adversaries.
In a Jan. 7 report, Reuters quoted Iran's top judge as warning there would be "no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic" while accusing Israel and the U.S. of destabilizing efforts.
The turmoil has also sharpened U.S.-Iran tensions.
The regime's ongoing lethal suppression led President Donald Trump to issue repeated warnings that the U.S. could intervene if the killing of protesters persisted.
Some personnel at the U.S. military's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar were advised to leave by Wednesday evening, a move described as a posture shift amid rising regional threats.
Meanwhile, Iran on Wednesday aired what appeared to be a direct threat against Trump, broadcasting an image on Islamic Republic state television that showed Trump at the 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot, alongside a message that read: "This time it will not miss the target."
The broadcast was Tehran's most explicit threat against Trump to date in public messaging and came as tensions rise between Washington and Iran's ruling clerics.
The televised warning followed repeated statements by Trump that the United States would take action if Tehran continues a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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