New Delhi: Elon Musk intervened by switching to Starlink in response to Iranian internet blackouts caused by Israeli attacks, thereby initiating a digital war in the Middle East conflict.
The date was June 13, 2025, when Israel’s Operation Rising Lion struck Iranian nuclear and military facilities, and the Communications Ministry of Iran announced that the internet would be restricted, temporarily, of course, due to security reasons. The outage began on Friday and affected mobile connections and social media apps, such as Instagram and WhatsApp, leaving millions of people isolated. By the time of Saturday, Musk verified on X that Starlink’s satellite web was dynamic in Iran and side-stepped the censorship of the regime.
Starlink is a system run by SpaceX that provides high-speed internet by means of low-orbit satellites to places with incapacitated infrastructure. The action replicates its intervention in Ukraine and Gaza, where it has re-established connectivity in times of crisis. In January 2025, more than 100,000 users in Iran are reported to be using Starlink terminals, which are priced between 700 and 2,000 dollars on the local market and have soared in demand on the black market, despite official prohibitions.
Iran has also responded with its National Information Network (NIN), a restricted local internet to isolate the users of the global networks. The regime is also reanimating its Zohreh satellite system to compete with foreign services such as Starlink. Iran has lobbied the International Telecommunication Union to block Starlink in 2023 on grounds of violation of sovereignty, but enforcement is difficult.
Amir Rashidi, an expert in internet security, told IranWire, “Starlink equipment is untraceable,” which makes it hardy to Iranian censorship. Nevertheless, users can be prosecuted on the account of owning smuggled terminals, and 22 devices were confiscated in 2023 as the property of the CIA.
This cyber confrontation goes beyond the usual war. The Starlink existence deprives Iran of the power to manage information, as citizens can now share unfiltered updates. With Israel and Iran firing missiles at each other, the technology developed by Musk becomes a geopolitical player who is changing the information dominance battle.