Iran’s parliament has passed a law officially banning the use of Starlink, the satellite internet service developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX. The law introduces severe penalties for those who utilize or distribute the unlicensed technology, according to Iranian news agency ISNA.
The legislation criminalizes the use, sale, purchase, import, production, or distribution of internet and communications equipment not certified by the Iranian government—including Starlink terminals—particularly if used for activities deemed hostile to the state.
Violators may face steep fines, corporal punishment (lashes), or up to two years in prison, German news agency DPA reported.
While Starlink had already been unofficially restricted in Iran, many users bypassed the ban by purchasing equipment through the black market at inflated prices. As of February, the number of Iranian users reportedly exceeded 30,000, according to the West Asia News Agency.
Citing analysts referenced by the Jerusalem Post, around 20,000 Starlink terminals are currently active in Iran. Each unit costs over US$2,000 on the black market—nearly 20 times the average Iranian monthly salary.
The new crackdown follows a nearly two-week war with Israel in June, during which the Iranian government severely limited internet access nationwide. Bloomberg, citing internet monitoring group NetBlocks, reported Iran remained largely offline as of June 22.
Elon Musk announced on June 15 that Starlink coverage over Iran had been activated. However, without ground terminals, access to the satellite network remains impossible.
In a parallel move, Tehran has urged the international community to help shut down Starlink in the country. In March, the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) voiced “serious concern” over the lack of progress and reiterated that using telecommunications equipment without national authorization is illegal in Iran.
Last year, the RRB formally called on the United States to “immediately disable” Starlink terminals operating in Iran. The U.S. State Department responded by reaffirming its support for the ITU’s core mission of promoting free information flow—an objective, it said, that Tehran itself is obstructing.
Reuters cited Elon Musk on December 28, 2022 as saying that around 100 Starlinks now active in Iran.
Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by Starlink Services, LLC, an international telecommunications provider that is a wholly owned subsidiary of American aerospace company SpaceX, providing coverage to around 130 countries and territories. It also aims to provide global mobile broadband. Starlink has been instrumental to SpaceX's growth. SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2019. As of May 2025, the constellation has reportedly consisted of over 7,600 mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Starlink's global satellite internet service has emerged as a significant security concern for nation-states, as it operates independently of local infrastructure and often without governmental approval.
In 2022, the U.S. State Department and U.S. Treasury Department reportedly updated rules regarding export of technology to Iran, allowing Starlink to be exported to Iran in support of the Iranian protests against compulsory hijab, which had triggered extensive government censorship. Immediately afterwards, Starlink service was activated in Iran. In 2023, the Iranian government filed a complaint with the ITU against SpaceX for unauthorized Starlink operation in Iran. In October 2023 and March 2024, the ITU ruled in favor of Iran, dismissing a SpaceX assertion that it should not be expected to verify the location of every terminal connecting to its satellites. Iran stated that SpaceX was capable of determining their user terminal locations by citing an October 2022 tweet from Musk saying the number of Starlink terminals operating within Iran was "approaching 100". Despite the illegality of Starlink usage in Iran, the number of Starlink users has grown exponentially via sales of the terminals on the black market.
