WSJ: U.S. secretly smuggled thousands of Starlink terminals into Iran to support criminals

Administration of the President of the United States Donald Trump has secretly shipped thousands of Starlink terminals to Iran following last month's brutal crackdown on demonstrations. This was reported by the newspaper The Wall Street Journal citing unnamed U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.

They said that the United States sent terminals to allow protesters to continue using the Internet after Tehran restricted access to the network.

After the Iranian authorities crushed protests in January, killing thousands of protesters and abruptly cutting off the Internet, the United States secretly smuggled about 6,000 satellite Internet kits into the country. This is the first time Starlink has been directly shipped to Iran.

The sources said that the U.S. State Department had purchased nearly 7,000 Starlink terminals in previous months to help anti-regime activists. The purchase came after senior Trump administration officials decided to redirect some funds from other initiatives to ensure Internet freedom in Iran to purchase Starlink.

According to the officials, the American president was aware of the shipment, but they do not know whether he or anyone else directly approved the plan.

Tehran has repeatedly accused Washington, without any evidence, of involvement in fomenting the protests. The United States has denied these accusations. However, the Starlink deal shows that the administration has done more to support the protests than previously thought. The White House declined to comment.

Media reports say that owning a Starlink terminal is illegal in Iran and can result in years in prison. But tens of thousands of Iranians own satellite terminals, analysts and activists say, using them to keep in touch with like-minded people and share information.

• In late December, large-scale protests engulfed Iran. The country was practically cut off from the outside world after the authorities have turned off the Internet to suppress the actions.
• January 2, 2026 Trump promised to intervene if the Iranian authorities use force to suppress the protests.
• As of January 18, it was reported about at least 5000 dead in Iran during the protests that swept the country in late December and were brutally suppressed.