Starlink

Starlink, the low-Earth-orbit satellite internet network operated by SpaceX, has become a survival tool in conflict zones where governments have severed terrestrial internet access. In Ukraine, Ukrainian forces and civilians adopted it as a primary communications backbone from 2022 onwards. In Iran the stakes are different: possession remained a capital offence throughout the 2026 internet blackout, the longest nationwide shutdown in recorded global history per NetBlocks, and on 7 June 2026 the IRGC raided Saravan in Sistan-Baluchistan province, killing four anti-regime fighters and seizing Starlink terminals alongside weapons and ammunition. The Saravan operation marks a shift from legal prohibition to active physical confiscation, confirming the regime treats satellite communications as a counter-insurgency target.

The service operates via a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, providing broadband connectivity independently of ground-based infrastructure. This makes it uniquely resistant to state-level internet shutdowns, which work by cutting or throttling physical cables and towers. Terminals can receive satellite signals in any location with a clear Sky view, giving opposition fighters and civilians a channel that conventional signals intelligence struggles to interdict without physical seizure.

SpaceX has navigated politically complex decisions about Starlink access in conflict zones. In Ukraine, access was provided then debated when SpaceX reportedly restricted use in certain military operations. Iran has taken the opposite approach: rather than adopting Starlink, it has criminalised possession and begun physically confiscating terminals, reflecting a fundamentally different posture toward information control. The Cuba case adds a third dimension: Washington listed Starlink terminal access as an explicit condition in its April 2026 engagement talks with Havana, illustrating how satellite internet has become a diplomatic lever as well as a battlefield tool.