Iranians caught using Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service can reportedly face the death penalty if their case is tied to national security or espionage charges. This new development comes as Tehran steps up a crackdown on a technology its officials now call a 'tool of war'. The legal threat comes as authorities hint at fresh restrictions on the global internet while the war with the US and Israel drags on. Even without such charges, using or possessing a Starlink terminal is a criminal offence punishable by prison, and officials say the state has several systems to cut off the devices.
Starlink banned in Iran: Jail terms, and death if espionage is alleged
Starlink is banned in Iran on national security grounds because it is free of the filtering Tehran imposes on the internet, Al Jazeera reported. The baseline sentence for using or possessing a terminal is six months to two years in prison. Importing or distributing the devices carries up to five years. When the offence is paired with national security or espionage charges, the death penalty is possible.
Officials: Starlink is for 'command and control'
Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, secretary of the Supreme National Cyberspace Council, said Starlink is used by Iran's enemies for command and control, spying and gathering information. He said Iran has several systems for cutting off terminals but did not say what they are. Al Jazeera reported that one was deployed during the January protests and that authorities are prepared to share the technology with aligned countries.
A Tehran-based telecoms expert, speaking to Al Jazeera anonymously, described the methods. They include jammers in different configurations, spoofed GPS locations that slow the set-up of new devices, and detection of Starlink-linked internet protocols when a terminal connects to local apps. Authorities also patrol and search for terminals with drones, and raid places that sell them.
'The last nail in the coffin'
At a governance meeting at the end of September, Deputy Technology Minister Mohammad Hafez Hakami warned that Starlink could end the state's control of Iran's cyberspace if it becomes widespread, because it gives users unfiltered access. He traced a pattern of escalating curbs. Telegram was blocked after the 2017-18 protests. The 2019 unrest brought the first week-long shutdown. WhatsApp and Instagram were blocked after the 2022-23 protests, which preceded the near-total blackout in January 2026. If the trend continues, he said, authorities will have to cut electricity in the next crisis, since Starlink does not depend on Iran's network.
Two long shutdowns in 2026
Iran's 90 million people have lived through two lengthy state-imposed global internet shutdowns this year. One lasted three weeks during nationwide protests in January. The other lasted 88 days from the start of the war, which began when the US and Israel launched strikes on February 28.
Pressure abroad and a smuggling claim
Since 2023, Iran has raised the issue at the International Telecommunication Union's Radio Regulations Board, trying to pressure the US and Norway to halt Starlink transmissions. Norway plays a role in the network's regulatory filings. On October 4, Iran's foreign ministry summoned the Norwegian ambassador over what it called a failure to act on unauthorised operations.
In June, Israeli politician Naftali Bennett claimed Israel smuggled tens of thousands of Starlink devices into Iran while he was prime minister, between 2021 and 2022, to help antigovernment protesters.
Most Iranians still without access
Starlink has let Iranians send protest videos abroad since 2022. Tens of thousands of terminals are believed to have entered the country, though exact numbers are unknown. Because of the risk of a crackdown, limited supply and cost, most people have no access. They rely on the domestic internet, which blocks most international services and thousands of websites. Most use VPNs, which can slow connections, cost money, expose user data and become harder to find during blackouts.
More restrictions possible, some platforms may open
Authorities say further restrictions are possible if the war intensifies, after a relative drop in violence since a June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, which lapsed without a permanent ceasefire. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told a news conference on Tuesday that state bodies are deliberately disrupting the internet, ostensibly to protect people and national assets from cyberattacks. She said the government does not deny it.
Authorities say they have considered easing limits on some platforms, but no action has been taken. Aghamiri backs a tiered-access model that would give protected international access to selected groups, such as traders, researchers and journalists, during restrictions. A policy framework released by state-linked media on Tuesday suggests Google Play and WhatsApp could potentially be unblocked. YouTube and Telegram would have to negotiate and accept conditions set by Iran, which Al Jazeera described as extremely unlikely. The document gives no timeline, and media reports say war and protests have stalled it.
