SpaceX CEO Elon Musk activated the company’s Starlink satellite internet service in Iran over the weekend. The move came after U.S. officials eased sanctions to allow the Iranian people greater access to the internet, according to The Hill.
The Treasury Department announced the policy change on Friday to let U.S. companies provide additional online services as the Iranian government has cut off internet access for most of the country while protests continue nationwide. The U.S. said companies providing cloud computing, social media, and video conferencing would be exempt from sanctions. Sanctions bar most foreign businesses from operating in Iran, notes Fortune.
Musk delivered thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. Ukrainians, including soldiers, have used Starlink to keep communication lines open even as the war takes out internet and cell networks, reports Fortune. But while the Ukrainian government solicited Musk’s help, the Iranian government is unlikely to cooperate with ordinary Iranians trying to import terminals to connect with SpaceX’s satellite internet network. That’s according to Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He tweeted Musk confirmed to him Starlink is now active for any Iranian with a Starlink terminal.
Iran has sought to cut off civilians’ access to the internet amid protests that began last week following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. Amini was arrested by the morality police for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly and died a few days later.
Iranian authorities said she died from a heart attack, but her family said she was badly beaten, leading to mass protests throughout the country. The protests have led to more than a dozen confirmed deaths as many women have burned their hijabs and cut their hair in public in opposition to what happened to Amini and to Iranian policy, according to The Hill.
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