The Trump administration directed a covert operation to smuggle approximately 6,000 Starlink satellite-internet terminals into Iran following a violent government crackdown on protesters in January, according to U.S. officials cited in a Wall Street Journal report published Thursday.
This delivery represents the first documented instance of the U.S. government directly providing Elon Musk’s satellite hardware to activists inside the Islamic Republic.
The decision to deploy the technology came after Iranian security forces shut off large portions of the country’s internet to contain widespread demonstrations. While official death tolls vary, internal figures from Iran’s Ministry of Health allegedly placed the number of fatalities at roughly 30,000 during a 48-hour period in early January.
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The State Department had reportedly purchased nearly 7,000 terminals in the months prior, specifically aiming to help anti-regime organizers bypass Tehran’s digital surveillance and censorship.
To fund the rapid deployment, senior administration officials reportedly redirected capital from existing internet-freedom programs. The move carries significant personal risk for those on the ground; owning a Starlink terminal is a criminal offense in Iran, punishable by lengthy prison sentences.
Despite the threat of rooftop searches and home raids by local authorities, tens of thousands of Iranians have sought out the devices to maintain communication with the outside world.
The unrest, which began in December over inflation and a failing economy, eventually evolved into a broad movement against the ruling government, receiving public backing from exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. Tehran has consistently blamed the United States and Israel for instigating the domestic turmoil.
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These developments occur against a backdrop of intensifying nuclear negotiations. Washington remains focused on preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon, while Iranian officials maintain that their enrichment activities are for civilian energy. President Trump has coupled these diplomatic efforts with blunt warnings, suggesting that a failure to reach a deal could lead to a military strike involving carrier groups currently stationed in the region.
On social media, the President referenced “Operation Midnight Hammer”—a previous military action—as a warning of what might follow if talks collapse. Following a Wednesday meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump stated that while he insisted negotiations continue, “nothing definitive was reached.” He added that if a deal cannot be consummated, the U.S. would “have to see what the outcome will be.”
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