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A network smuggling Starlink tech into Iran to beat internet blackout
- deleted 6mo ago[deleted]
- bhouston 6mo agoI suspect the Internet blackout in Iran is not actually related to its citizens - it isn't about silencing its citizens. It is to prevent hacking and tracking by US and Israel of what is going on over there, it is defensive since it has been shown that Iran's connected infrastructure is thoroughly compromised.
- stingraycharles 6mo agoHow do people communicate now? And why wouldn’t that be compromised?
- burnrate 6mo agoIt’s 100% to prevent citizens from becoming organized. The regime is most fearful of this.
- recroad 6mo ago[flagged]
- bigyabai 6mo agoThere's multiple motives, not just counter-organization. A media blackout prevents OSINT damage analysis, much like how the IDF and CENTCOM both censor reporting of attacks on their in-theater installations.
- Pay08 6mo agoThey could easily just censor that, especially since a dictatorship has far more control over the media compared to democracies.
- bigyabai 6mo agoThe OSINT is a bigger threat than the state media in Iran, hence the internet blackout.
- Pay08 6mo agoNo, the internet blackout is so their populace doesn't rise up against them.
- bigyabai 6mo agoSorry, but that's not the reason. This is a symmetrical response to CENTCOM and the Israeli Military Censor's policy of freezing OSINT in-theater. In any case, it's perfectly clear that the internet blackout didn't stop the protests. The protests were never going to topple the government, the CIA/Mossad needs the Kurds to fight the IRGC (and the Kurds don't want to fight).
- Pay08 6mo agoIs that why they did similar blackouts in 2019, 2022, and 2024 too?
- bigyabai 6mo agoIt absolutely could be one of the motives, I'm not a member of the IRGC so I couldn't tell you for certain. I do know that the IDF and CENTCOM have been censoring in-theater OSINT for decades, and we also know that Iran has the incentives to do the same thing with a larger population. Lacking the CIA and Mossad's censorship tools, a total shutdown is not really that unexpected.
- Pay08 6mo agoNo. What all of those dates had in common wasn't the USA or Israel, it was protests by the Iranian population. Yes, blackout to prevent OSINT is a thing. That's not why they were doing them in 2019, 2022, and 2024 and it's not why they're doing it now (seeing as it started before the war). They're doing it to suppress their population because they fear an uprising.
- sysguest 6mo agothis well... so obvious
- xbmcuser 6mo agoI think the regime narrative is mostly made up by Americans what's the difference between any of the Arab countries from Iran. The only difference is they are not controlled by America. It the same bullshit narrative of promoting democracy but in reality it's just about pushing for a government no matter how bad as long as it supports US control.
- E-Reverance 6mo agoFYI it’s not an Arab country
- xbmcuser 6mo ago[flagged]
- tptacek 6mo agoIt's not an Arab country at all. Iranians are Persian, not Arab. Iran is low-key at war with most of the gulf Arab states.
- xbmcuser 6mo agoAnd no where in any of my statements did I call it an Arab country. I was just calling out hypocrisy of the west when realistically Iran regime is as good or bad as any of the Arab countries or even the untouchable Israel.
- csomar 6mo agoNot sure why he is being called for this (or maybe he edited his comment?) but I re-read it a couple times and he is not saying Iran is an Arab country but comparing to the other Arab countries.
- xbmcuser 6mo agoIt's normal. They can't debate the actual statement, so they talk about something irrelevant to derail the conversation.
- tokioyoyo 6mo agoHow did people organize pre-Internet times though?
- marcosdumay 6mo agoThrough social gatherings that mostly don't exist anymore.
- fgfarben 6mo agowhich is the exact same reason China bans Starlink.
- markdown 6mo agoI wonder why BYD is banned in the US. Are we afraid they'll be used to transport people to gatherings?
- SXX 6mo agoI'm not from US, but China is certainly subsidize a lot of its manufacturers to capture global markets while not giving access to it's local market to western companies. US is able to produce cars on its soil and there is no reason to give up this industry to foreign country. It's pretty sane policy.
- maxglute 6mo agoPRC gave/gives way more managed market access to US/west than vice versa, they just historically limit to JVs where foreign partners capped at 50/50% ownership. Almost every western product that's not export controlled, PRC buys, i.e. there's way more western cars / tech in PRC market via JV tax than vice versa. Versus western approach to PRC competitive goods is functionally structural exclusion. EU on open to JVs even if they're incapable of providing same we do all the work you collect cheques value add that PRC offered, but they have audacity to ask for tier1 PRC crown jewel tech while PRC took tier2 legacy western tech, and EU wants 51% lol while not being able to allocate land, build factories, mobilize 10000s workforce on a dime like PRC. Hence PRC not biting. The difference is PRC has confidence they can indigenize tech/processes and compete, so giving western companies broader access to even strategic sectors long term worthwhile, especially sectors they're behind in. West either doesn't have that confidence or understands they'll get stomped even in PRC parity/fair JV arrangement and better to lock in with protectionism that now surpass PRC protectionism, or have retarded JV asks. Which is a pretty sane policy until PRC moves past parity and extend gap despite mountains of ineffective western subsidies.
- SXX 6mo ago
- dzhiurgis 6mo agoThere's something to be said if it connects (via ethernet or via hidden eSIM) Starlink to local Iranian internet - it is hard to access otherwise. There is no doubt that CIA has access to Starlink, that's a massive amount of crucial intel right there in battlefront.
- ajewhere2 6mo ago[dead]
- rayiner 6mo agoExcept that Iran has been doing it since 2019: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_Iran https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_Iran
- ShabbyDoo 6mo agoIs Iran's domestic internet still fully operational (sans access to/from the outside world)? If so, I wouldn't think the cut-off would help much security-wise because a single Starlink terminal would allow the US/Israel domestic access.
- Pay08 6mo agoI don't think it is. At least from Iranians I've heard from, domestic internet was online for a little while but was turned off in February or so.
- tjwebbnorfolk 6mo agoThe internet is only off for those who don't have a special sim card, i.e. those who aren't associated with the IRGC.
- mullingitover 6mo agoDon’t know why you’re getting downvoted for pointing out the obvious: yes obviously the US and Israel will exploit the information system of their enemy if they can, and it’s absolutely rational to deny them the opportunity to do so.
- throwawayheui57 6mo agoShould internet and outside access be cut for people of Gaza and Lebanon too? Aren’t they targeted by Israel as well?
- t-3 6mo agoThe government of Lebanon is cooperating with Israel - it's only the southerners/Hezbollah in conflict, at least for now. The people of Gaza are cut off for the most part. The strict censorship inside Israel is what you should compare to - not as strict as a total access ban, but if you say the wrong things or take pictures of the wrong stuff you're going to prison.
- nandomrumber 6mo ago> but if you say the wrong things or take pictures of the wrong stuff you're going to prison. That’s true in most counties. And for good reason. Israel is tiny, and has a population of 10.1 million. And a fair amount of military firepower. You probably shouldn’t be taking photos of, say, Iron Dome equipment locations.
- Pay08 6mo agoThe ARMA 3 devs actually almost went to prison for photographing military installations.
- mullingitover 6mo agoMy point is that the people of Iran aren’t the target of the disruption. Remember when Ukraine used the Russian cellular internet to operate drones that destroyed numerous Russian heavy bomber aircraft? That’s what the US/Israel would logically be expected to do if there were wide open internet access in Iran. This is obvious game theory playing out militarily, people only see political suppression but warfare is a totally different ballgame. If China were waging large scale war on the US I’d expect the exact same countermeasures to happen.
- adam_arthur 6mo agoThe blackout started back in January before the US even got involved. Due to widespread protests and an attempt to crack down on coordination. This chain of events was widely reported. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Internet_blackout_in_Iran https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Internet_blackout_in_Iran
- Ancapistani 6mo agoIt definitely ramped up with the invasion. I watched the webcam streams go dark.
- Mikhail_Edoshin 6mo agoBefore the US started an open war. US has been involved in a relentless anti-Iranian campaign since before I was born (I'm 55).
- throwawayheui57 6mo agoIt’s defensive indeed! It’s defense against the people whom the regime is most afraid of!
- deleted 6mo ago[deleted]
- mlmonkey 6mo agoMaybe we need to start a GoFundMe to sponsor some of these Starlink terminals.... ?
- rblatz 6mo agoIt’s the death penalty for anyone caught with one.
- squigz 6mo agoSome things are worth the risk.
- donkey_brains 6mo agoThe point being that we need to not incriminate these people.
- Levitz 6mo agoPer the article, it's seemingly not? >Last year, the Iranian government passed legislation that made using, buying or selling Starlink devices punishable by up to two years in prison. The jail term for distributing or importing more than 10 devices can be up to 10 years.
- nullsanity 6mo agoPer reports as of a few days ago, yes there are very much murdering people with starlink. Last year was before the current crisis. People are being murdered in the streets daily by the regime, and ordinary people are desperate for it to end.
- throwawaypath 6mo agoShocking, but it may soon be (or is currently) true: "Iran Prepares Death Penalty Law for Starlink Internet Use" https://iranwire.com/en/news/145471-iran-prepares-death-penalty-law-for-starlink-internet-use/ https://iranwire.com/en/news/145471-iran-prepares-death-pena...
- adiabatichottub 6mo agoI learned from a BSides presentation that Ukranian military are using Starlink trancievers placed in pits to beat ground-based signal detection. Do with that what you will.
- tantalor 6mo agoWouldn't they be easily detected from airborne drones?
- XorNot 6mo agoNo, because the collimating effect on the beam would still require you to have line of sight to the emitter, and if a drone is able to get that close without being intercepted then something else has already gone wrong. But this is also an example of weird absolutist thinking about military tactics: is it unbeatable? No. Does it complicate the surveillance and detection picture? Yes.
- pwndByDeath 6mo agoAre you under the impression that the starlink terminals in Iran are for US military?
- wmf 6mo agoI heard that Iran is just looking for Starlink SSIDs so if you turn off Wi-Fi they won't find it.
- hirako2000 6mo agoI thought that was exactly how the spies got made. As Iranians figured they could just narrow the signal.
- coliveira 6mo ago[flagged]
- nandomrumber 6mo agoIf the options for Iran are to have illegitimate government controlled by Israel or the Ayatollahs, which would you pick?
- coliveira 6mo agoBoth are terrible options, why should I root for one of them? Look what Israel is doing in Gaza, are they gonna be good for Iran now?
- dotancohen 6mo ago[flagged]
- Pay08 6mo agoThe 90% figure is widely considered to be bullshit. Actual civilian-to-combatant ratios are around 1:1 in war, a la 50%. Granted, it's higher for urban warfare.
- dotancohen 6mo ago> The 90% figure is widely considered to be bullshit. The 90% figure is the UN claim.
- coliveira 6mo agoOk, propaganda machine, this must be fantastic.
- dotancohen 6mo agoThe numbers come from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
- jmyeet 6mo ago[flagged]
- weregiraffe 6mo ago[flagged]
- defrost 6mo agoI have little doubt the US armed Kurds to add to Iran's woes, however > Trump openly admiited it [2]. isn't a credible source, as the linked article admits: Iran analyst Neil Quilliam of the United Kingdom’s Chatham House think tank, told Al Jazeera that it’s hard to assign much weight to Trump’s statements because of the claims and counterclaims often coming from him and his administration. The current POTUS contradicts himself from one day to the next and frequently waffles for hours spouting factually incorrect material.
- jmyeet 6mo agoSo in court there's the concept of hearsay, which generally makes certain statements inadmissble as evidence. The classic example is me testifying "Alice said Bob told her he did it". One of the exceptions to hearsay is called the admission against interest. That means that if you say something that hurts your case or hurts you in some other way (eg implicating you in a crime) then you will generally be allowed to testify to that. So this isn't a court of law obviously but I still find this analogy useful. Yes, Trump says some crazy stuff and even openly lies. All of that's true. But that doesn't mean you should ignore everything he says. What he says can be corroborated (or contradicted) but it also carries weight if it's an admission against interest. In this case, Trump claiming to have armed "protesters" is absolutely an admission against interest. It undercuts American propaganda that the Iranian regime brutally crushed an organic protest by ordinary citizens. As such, at least for me, the statement carries more weight. You can still look at the statement and see if other evidence contradicts or suports it of course.
- defrost 6mo agoSure. Understood. Makes sense for any normal person. Trump is still a 100% unreliable witness to almost anything, more so in recent years as he's cognitively wobbling all over the clock. Again, I'm not opposed to your thesis here, just pointing out Trump's words count for nothing; he's a frequent traveller on the path of "admissions against interest" - arming rebels, shooting people in Times Square, war crimes on the open seas, staring directly into the sun .. he's down for all of that and it seemingly slides right off.
- fchicken 6mo agoWe are not the good guys in iran
- marcosdumay 6mo agoOn the specific concerns of giving internet to civilians, yes you are. I just don't know if those civilians will trust you. They have plenty of reasons not to.
- Jabrov 6mo agoYou are not we
- Mikhail_Edoshin 6mo agoThe person takes the responsibility; you are excluding him from the society that you implicitly claim to represent. These two are very different intentions.
- Jabrov 6mo agoI’m not American, and reminding OP that we’re not all American on this site
- walrus01 6mo agoWanting the ordinary Iranian civilian to have uncensored, properly functioning broadband Internet service (no better or no worse than what you have sitting in your house right now) is a good thing no matter where you stand on the topic of current military action by either side.
- tim333 6mo agoI'm not sure either side in Trump vs the Ayatollahs is good. I feel for the ordinary people though who are the ones wanting Stalinks.
- spwa4 6mo agoCompared to the IRGC? Ie. the other side? Yes we are. By an extreme amount too.
- fuckthecia 6mo ago[flagged]
- allah69 6mo ago[flagged]
- shameonus 6mo agoisrael should be sanctioned until it gives up its nuclear weapons
- allah69 6mo ago[flagged]
- m00dy 6mo agoI know how to smuggle starlink devices in a mass scale into Iran.
- dotancohen 6mo agoStarship?
- pixel_popping 6mo agoare meant to fly...
- dotancohen 6mo agoHow much stars would a Starship ship, if a Starship could ship stars?
- ars 6mo ago[flagged]
- miohtama 6mo agoOn other news, Iran is banning IPv6, UDP, DNS, ICMP to tighten the blackout https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/permanent-ban-ipv6-forced-national-dns-one-way-mirror-kaveh-ranjbar-hjm3e/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_detail_base%3Bs2wFtthkS4Cq0Ada2AZXWw%3D%3D https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/permanent-ban-ipv6-forced-nat...
- Barbing 6mo agoArchive - https://ghostarchive.org/archive/BjCwU https://ghostarchive.org/archive/BjCwU
- pwdisswordfishq 6mo agoIt's no longer a ban / blacklist. It's a whitelist with extremely strict rules and DPI inspection. You can connect to example.com ONLY if it is whitelisted, and only if you use this specific IP and Port, with this specific TLS handshake fingerprint and certificate, and the first N packets follow these timing / length patterns. A few weeks ago a very clever way to bypass the SNI whitelist was introduced [1] (SNI spoofing for cloudflare!) but it was subsequently blocked. Some claim that at this moment all outbound TCP connections are terminated inside the firewall / ISPs and therefore methods like [1] based on injecting fake or problematic TCP packets no longer work. It seems like even SYN-free TCP connections (again, breaking protocol) are no longer accessible. [1] https://github.com/therealaleph/sni-spoofing-rust https://github.com/therealaleph/sni-spoofing-rust
- wesselbindt 6mo agoAre there other sources than a linkedin post? I try to be a bit more critical of information in times of war. God knows we've been lied to before, by all sides. I've seen janitorial schedules be presented as a terrorist sign in sheets.
- miohtama 6mo agoThe LinkedIn post has the original Persian text attached. Also there is no point to lie about this
- walrus01 6mo agoNetblocks has been doing some very good work tracking the presence or absence of known IP blocks previously announced by Iranian ASNs. The charts really speak for themselves. For those who don't keep track of backbone ISP topologies: Iran has 3 or 4 major entirely government controlled ASNs which all domestic ISPs are obligated to be downstream of. The government controlled AS run all the international transit connections (at the BGP level) and also the physical fiber/longhaul DWDM systems into a few neighboring countries. It makes it very easy to cut off all the downstream domestic only ISPs. https://netblocks.org/ https://netblocks.org/
- hrmon 6mo agoUS military "tested" some of its new weapons during the last war on Iran, in one case killing more than 15 kids [1]. So US tech is famous for improving life quality in Iran. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/world/middleeast/us-precision-strike-missile-iran-lamerd.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/world/middleeast/us-preci...
- UltraSane 6mo agoJust because the US sucks doesn't mean the Shia Theocratic thugs ruling Iran don't ALSO suck.
- jmyeet 6mo agoExcuse the pedantry but it's probably more accurate to describe Iran as a military dicatorship more than a theocracy. Yes, there's a Supreme Leader but the day-to-day government is really run by the IRGC. Not that one is necessarily better than the other, mind you. It's a bit like describing the UK as a monarchy (yes the British monarch is more of a figurehead than the Ayatollah is). But look at all our self-proclaimed enemeies (eg Cuba, North Korea, Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Iran) and all of that end of becoming a varying degree of autocratic. None of these countries ends up wanting to be a US puppet. I can't think of a single example where foreign inteference (or war) has had the citizenry welcome foreign powers as liberators or otherwise increased freedoms or conditions in a country for those citizens. You might be tempted to say apartheid South Africa but there's a key difference. South Africa wasn't an enemy. It was an ally. Sanctions don't work on enemies. They only work on allies. However unpoular the IRGC or the Supreme Leader are in Iran, the US and Israel are less popular. We should never forget that the Ayatollah is a direct product of US inteference as we couped their democratically elected government to install a brutal regime under the Shah. Look up the history of SAVAK some time.
- tgma 6mo ago> I can't think of a single example where foreign inteference [sic] (or war) has had the citizenry welcome foreign powers as liberators or otherwise increased freedoms or conditions in a country for those citizens. That's one of the lines people spew as if it is a tautology without actually thinking about its accuracy. Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, need more examples? Iranians right now also tend to disagree with you too...
- hulitu 6mo agoThe CIA and MI5 must be really disperate.
- aitrender 6mo ago[flagged]
- clydethefrog 6mo agoRelated story - in February 2026, the baggage of a Dutch diplomat was confiscated. It contained three Starlink satellite modems and seven satellite phones, concealed inside a suitcase. https://karat.substack.com/p/a-diplomatic-suitcase-at-imam-khomeini https://karat.substack.com/p/a-diplomatic-suitcase-at-imam-k...
- stefantalpalaru 6mo ago[dead]
- jasonvorhe 6mo agoAfter having supported activists in egypt during the arab spring I've come to learn that it's all just coopted regime change nonsense sprinkled with "feel good activism" for Westerners. No one in Egypt is even remotely better off now. Just let Iranians deal with this on their own. From what I've researched, our impression of what their lives are supposedly like is totally shaped by intelligence services and cointelpro media anyways so why bother to get involved. We'll only make things worse for the average Iranian.
- Cairn_Shadow 6mo ago[dead]