Elon Musk is now offering free internet inside Iran through Starlink, following a phone call with Donald Trump, the current U.S. president. The decision came as the Iranian government shut down online access and cracked down on anti-regime protests across the country. Over 1,800 protesters have been reported killed, but rights groups say the actual number could be higher due to the total communications blackout. For days, even high-level insiders in the regime couldn’t get online. Two cybersecurity researchers said people with “white” SIM cards, which had worked during the 2025 Iran-Israel war, were also disconnected this time. Smuggling efforts deliver Starlink hardware across borders A software engineer who used to work with the Iranian government left the country and joined a group helping smuggle Starlink receivers into Iran through Iraqi Kurdistan and Armenia. He and others had prepared for this scenario for years, knowing the risk of a full-scale shutdown. That smuggling network is operating under a sanctions exemption introduced in 2022, which allowed U.S. tech companies to provide communication tools in Iran. It started under Joe Biden, and SpaceX is now using it to deliver internet access during the current crackdown. One tech expert in contact with users in Iran allegedly said people are able to connect to the global internet, but only in short bursts. Many are hiding their terminals and using them sparingly to avoid being caught by security forces. Neighbors have been asked to report them. Drones are flying overhead. Everything has to be quiet. Authorities respond by jamming Starlink and seizing equipment Iranian state TV showed off more than 1,000 electronic devices on Tuesday, including mobile phones and signal boosters. The Ministry of Information said they had been smuggled into the country for spying. Officials said these tools were meant to help people bypass the digital blackout . A tech analyst named Ahmadian claims that the government is now using military-grade jamming on Starlink devices, similar to what Russia has done in Ukraine. According to researchers at Project Ainita, Iran only has two connection points to the global internet: the Telecommunication Infrastructure Company and the Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, which started in the 1990s. Doug Madory, who works at Kentik, said that Iran has “created their own Great Firewall that blocks everything but approved traffic.” He also said that cutting access is simple because there are only two companies connecting the country to the internet. Experts say the Iranian government has been working for decades to control information inside the country. That control has now expanded beyond Iran, with some tools being exported to countries like Syria. Right now, the battle is about blocking Starlink before it spreads. Some users inside Iran are managing to share videos online, but activists say the signal comes and goes. Many people are staying offline for safety. They only connect when needed, then power down. The risk is high. Arrests are happening. The blackout is ongoing. Researchers say the government’s strategy is different from China’s firewall. China replaced global platforms with domestic apps like WeChat and TikTok. Want your project in front of crypto’s top minds? Feature it in our next industry report, where data meets impact.
