Iran's Starlink Disabling Claim
Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, who leads Iran's National Cyberspace Center, stated that his country managed to take Starlink satellite internet terminals offline while protests swept the nation in January. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB carried his remarks, which were then picked up by Anadolu Agency. Aghamiri called the effort Tehran's first operation of its kind to succeed against Starlink terminals, saying it worked fully and ranks among the tools Iran uses to push back against the satellite internet provider.[S1][S2][S3]
The same official applied the word coup to the January demonstrations, echoing language Iranian authorities commonly use. He further asserted that outlets in the West had supposedly covered the operation as a success. These comments followed a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the UN General Assembly in New York on September 24, where he held up a Starlink terminal and argued the device lets Iranians obtain information, while accusing Tehran of devoting large sums to censoring the internet.[S1]
Protests and Internet Shutdown
Demonstrations against the government in Iran grew stronger on January 8 and 9, with protesters and security personnel clashing. Iranian officials cut off internet access across the country on January 8. During that blackout, Starlink was among the handful of remaining routes online, though accounts from that period pointed to heavy jamming and service problems. Aghamiri maintains those disruptions stemmed from Iran's campaign against the terminals.[S1]
