Elon Musk says 'turning on Starlink' in Iran after US eases restrictions on internet services in the country

Iranians may soon regain internet access, which has been blocked by the government following recent widespread protests in the country over the death of a woman in police custody for violating a dress code.

What happened: Elon Musk said on Twitter on Friday that he was activating a Starlink internet connection in Iran.

His tweet announcement came in response to a tweet by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said the United States had issued a blanket license to supply the people of Iran "wider access to digital communication". to counter Iranian government censorship.

Earlier Friday, the US Treasury issued the Iranian General License D-2 to support internet freedom in Iran, aligning US sanctions guidelines with changes in technology modern. This will replace the GL D-1 which was in effect since February 7, 2014.

The new license extends exemptions to social media platforms, video conferencing and cloud services, as well as anti-censorship tools and related software.

Iran's government has cut internet access to most of the country's 80 million citizens to prevent the world from watching the violent crackdown on peaceful protests, the Treasury says.

See also: Elon Musk says Starlink satellites are now connecting schools in the world's largest rainforest

Why it matters: Following Iran's internet ban, U.S. lawmakers pressured Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to allow Starlink to operate in Iran, according to a letter sent to Yellen published on Thursday.

On Monday, when researcher and science journalist Erfan Kasraie asked Musk on Twitter if it was technically possible to provide Starlink to the people of Iran, the billionaire replied that his space company would seek an exemption for Iranian sanctions in this regard.

Starlink will seek an exemption from Iranian sanctions in this regard

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 19, 2022

Starlink went live in war-torn Ukraine earlier this year when Russian attacks disrupted internet services in the country. When the Ukrainian government made a request to Musk, he acted immediately.

Recently, former President and CEO of Alphabet, Inc. GOOGL GOOG Eric Schmidt praised Starlink for its role in helping Ukraine during this time of distress. He noted that there are about 20,000 Starlink terminals in the country.

Photo via Shutterstock.

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