(Web Desk) - Elon Musk’s SpaceX is now providing free internet access via its Starlink satellite service to users in Iran as the country’s regime continues its bloody crackdown on anti-government protests, according to a tech expert in touch with Iranian Starlink users.
Starlink accounts in Iran that were previously inactive now have connections and their subscription fees have been waived as of Tuesday, said Ahmad Ahmadian, executive director at the technology nonprofit Holistic Resilience.
The news follows a phone call earlier this week between US President Donald Trump and Musk in which the two men discussed Starlink access in Iran. Neither SpaceX nor the White House responded to requests for comment.
For several days, the Iranian government has choked off internet access for its population while reportedly killing over 1,800 protesters in what observers say is one of the regime’s largest ever digital blackouts. The death toll could be much higher because the communications shutdown has made it harder to tally, according to human rights groups.
Meanwhile Trump has told the protesters to keep resisting the Iranian regime while claiming that all options for US support for the protesters, including military action, are on the table.
Aside from Starlink, the US government has for years funded virtual private networks (VPNs) and other software tools to help Iranians evade censorship. The Trump administration last year cut funding for those efforts amid a broader reduction in US foreign assistance.