Starlink falls in Iran as U.S. intelligence suffers strategic defeat
SANAA, Jan. 15 (YPA) – Against the backdrop of escalating U.S.–Iran tensions, the American firm SpaceX revealed that it would make its Starlink satellite internet service available free of charge within Iran.
This move was widely interpreted not as a technical or humanitarian initiative, but as part of a broader intelligence operation aimed at surveillance, data collection, and undermining Iran’s sovereignty over its telecommunications sector.
Starlink: Internet Under a Spy Cover
The primary objective of offering free satellite internet was to attract the largest possible number of users, thereby enabling massive volumes of data to pass through servers controlled by the United States. This, in turn, would facilitate communication with individuals linked to foreign intelligence services, enable the transfer of sensitive information, support media and incitement campaigns, and systematically influence public opinion inside Iran.
Washington’s Intelligence Arm
SpaceX’s announcement reinforced the growing conviction that the company is not an independent commercial entity, as it claims, but rather an intelligence instrument employed by Washington in its confrontations with independent nations. Iran, in this context, was no exception. This step followed a similar precedent in Yemen in September 2024, when Starlink services were deployed in what was widely seen as a clear attempt to conduct surveillance and gather intelligence in a country under continuous siege and U.S.-led aggression.
A Decisive Shift: Iran Drops Starlink
In a move described as unprecedented on a global scale, the Islamic Republic of Iran succeeded in disabling the Starlink satellite internet system, thwarting what it described as an American plan to use the platform as a tool to incite unrest and violence as part of an open war against Iran.
Iran’s Cyberspace Command announced that, through electronic warfare operations, it managed to disrupt nearly 90 percent of Starlink access inside the country—an achievement that drew significant attention from Western media and military analysts.
American Acknowledgment
The U.S. magazine Forbes described the development as unprecedented, stating, “We have never seen such a thing before.”
American media reports indicated that Starlink data traffic disruptions surged within hours from roughly 30 percent to more than 80 percent, as a result of sophisticated jamming operations targeting the satellite system. Western outlets characterized this as a fundamental shift in the alternative communications model upon which the West had heavily relied.
Electromagnetic Warfare Without Missiles
According to U.S. media analyses, Iran employed advanced electronic and electromagnetic warfare capabilities capable of disrupting specific frequencies within precise geographic ranges. These highly complex military technologies are similar to those used to jam drones and satellites, marking a new phase in non-kinetic warfare.
Starlink: A Losing Bet
Starlink had long been regarded as an untouchable system. The West relied heavily on it in Ukraine as a backbone for military communications and viewed it as a tool capable of circumventing internet shutdowns in countries such as Iran and China. However, developments in Iran shattered this assumption, proving that the concept of an “uncuttable internet” is largely a technical myth.
Law, Sovereignty, and National Security
In the name of national security, Iran enacted strict legislation prohibiting the use or distribution of unlicensed Starlink devices, following evidence linking their use to sabotage, assassination, and espionage operations during U.S.–Israeli aggression. Authorities ordered the confiscation of the devices and imposed deterrent penalties.
Even Israeli assessments now acknowledge that Iran is no longer a marginal player in electronic warfare. Instead, it has emerged as a seasoned power that has integrated the electromagnetic domain into the core of its military doctrine, treating it as a parallel battlefield alongside land, sea, and air.
Without firing a single missile, Tehran succeeded in neutralizing one of the world’s most advanced space-based communication systems—undermining Washington’s reliance on technology as a tool of espionage and coercion. What occurred in Iran was not merely an internet disruption, but a strategic defeat for an American intelligence instrument, and a clear message that digital dominance is neither inevitable nor absolute.
AA