Iran using Russian tech to jam free internet services by Elon Musk's Starlink? ‘Never seen such a thing’, says expert

As protests intensify in Iran under a nationwide internet blackout, Tehran has reportedly deployed Russian military tech to jam Elon Musk's Starlink network, raising alarm among digital rights activists. According to Forbes, the jammers have disrupted up to 80% of Starlink's uplink and downlink traffic, targeting GPS signals used by the terminals to connect with satellites. NetBlocks confirmed the activity, describing the service as “patchy, but still there.”

Amir Rashidi of the Miaan Group, a digital rights nonprofit, told TechRadar: “I have been monitoring and researching access to the internet for the past 20 years, and I have never seen such a thing in my life.”

Musk's company, SpaceX, has attempted to counter the blackout by waiving Starlink subscription fees in Iran, Bloomberg and CNN reported. SpaceX, on Tuesday, US time, waived the Starlink subscription fee in Iran, Bloomberg and CNN reported, effectively enabling people with receivers to access the network without paying.

Though receivers are banned, an estimated 50,000 units have been smuggled into the country, enabling some Iranians to connect despite the crackdown. Ahmad Ahmadian, executive director of the technology nonprofit Holistic Resilience, explained. "It’s plug and connect … just put [the satellite terminal] somewhere that has access to a clear view of the sky, and you’re good to go," Ahmad was quoted by CNN.

What we know about SpaceX's move

While SpaceX has yet to announce anything officially, the development was confirmed by company sources familiar with the matter and by Ahmadian, whose organisation works with Iranians to help them secure internet access.

The move followed a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Musk earlier this week, wherein Trump, who has been vocally supportive of protesters and threatened military intervention in Iran, pushed for Starlink access in the protest-hit nation.

"We may speak to Elon ‘cause as you know, he’s very good at that kind of thing. He’s got a very good company, so we may speak to Elon Musk," Trump had told reporters on Sunday, adding, "In fact, I’m gonna call him as soon as I’m finished with you."

That said, Trump and Musk's push to reconnect protesting Iranians with the world has not gone unanswered, with Iran reportedly deploying Russian technology to stymie internet access within its borders.

How Iran has responded

Iran's pushback has been aggressive. According to Forbes, Tehran deployed military jammers supplied by Russia to shut down Starlink internet.

Initially disrupting 30% of traffic, the interference has now risen to 80%.

NetBlocks told the Times of Israel on Monday that jammers were targeting GPS signals used by Starlink to locate and enable connections to satellites, leading to localised blackouts.

"It [Starlink internet] is patchy, but still there," NetBlocks was quoted as saying by The Times, which added that while it was not clear how Starlink service was being disrupted, specialists suspect it is the result of jamming Starlink terminals.

That said, there's no confirmation as yet on what technology is being used to jam Starlink services, and it could very well be a novel one.

"I have been monitoring and researching access to the internet for the past 20 years, and I have never seen such a thing in my life," digital rights advocacy non-profit Miaan Group's Amir Rashidi was quoted as saying by Tech Radar.

Iran, as of Tuesday, had been offline for 120 hours as per NetBlocks, with the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei-led government imposing the blackout last week to disconnect protesters from the international community.

As of writing this, the death toll in Iran amid the government crackdown on protests rose to over 2,000, as per the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, with 1,850 protesters being killed.

Protests erupted in Tehran on 28 December 2025 after Iran's currency collapsed and the demonstrations quickly spread nationwide—as of writing this, protests were raging in at least 180 towns and cities, and have shown no sign of slowing down despite the government's brutal crackdown.