US Smuggled Over 6,000 Starlink Terminals To Iran, Kept Dissidents Online Amid Blackouts: Report

Last Updated:February 12, 2026, 23:18 IST

Iran’s government has repeatedly accused Washington of fomenting dissent- allegations the US has denied.

The United States covertly smuggled more than 6,000 Starlink satellite internet terminals into Iran following Tehran’s violent crackdown on anti-regime protests, US officials told The Wall Street Journal. The move was aimed at helping dissidents bypass sweeping internet blackouts imposed by the authorities.

As protests spread across Iran earlier this year, US President Donald Trump publicly encouraged demonstrators, telling them that “help is on its way." No direct military action followed.

However, officials said the US State Department purchased nearly 7,000 terminals in recent months- most of them in January- after Iranian authorities killed thousands of protesters and severely restricted online connectivity to quell nationwide unrest. Under the plan, funds were diverted from other internet-freedom initiatives inside Iran to procure the satellite kits. Officials said Trump was aware of the deliveries.

Read more: ‘Oil And Money Are Flowing’: Trump Says US-Venezuela Ties ‘Extraordinary’ After Maduro Capture

Iran’s government has repeatedly accused Washington of fomenting dissent- allegations the US has denied. Still, the Starlink effort suggests the Trump administration provided more concrete support to anti-regime activists than previously known.

Why US Sent Starlink Terminals To Iran?

Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, delivers satellite-based internet access that functions independently of local telecommunications infrastructure. In countries where authorities shut down broadband and mobile networks, satellite connectivity can provide a critical link to the outside world. Owning a Starlink terminal is illegal in Iran and can carry a multiyear prison sentence.

The decision to prioritise Starlink followed internal debates within the Trump administration over whether funding should instead support virtual private networks, or VPNs, the report said. VPNs enable users to mask their internet traffic and bypass censorship but they still depend on some level of underlying connectivity.

Read more: Trump’s Trump Card? Russia Proposes To Embrace Dollar Again In Potential Blow To Beijing

Mora Namdar, who led the State Department’s Middle East bureau until December, urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an August memo to acquire Starlink systems specifically for Iran. She argued that VPNs become ineffective when the regime imposes near-total internet shutdowns, according to the report.

Internal State Department data shows that about 30 million Iranians used US-funded VPN services during protests in 2022. During a 12-day conflict in June 2025, roughly 20% of Iranians were still able to access limited connectivity through such services despite heavy restrictions.

The report comes as Washington and Tehran remain locked in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme. While Trump has said he prefers a diplomatic solution, he has also warned that failure to reach an agreement could carry consequences.

News world US Smuggled Over 6,000 Starlink Terminals To Iran, Kept Dissidents Online Amid Blackouts: Report

Read More