Footage from Iran has brought global attention to the Iranian regime's crimes, says Mehdi Yahyanejad, an Iranian whose non-profit tech organization Net Freedom Pioneers has helped smuggle Starlink terminals into Iran.
He points in particular to a video that began circulating over the weekend, showing rows of bodies at a morgue near Tehran.
It showed a few hundred bodies on the ground. The video came out thanks to Starlink.
On Tuesday, there were still unconfirmed reports that Starlink is offering free connectivity for anyone with Starlink terminals in Iran.
However, the receivers are banned in the country, and possession is considered espionage, which can result in the death penalty. There have been multiple reports in recent days of terminal seizures.
France is also considering sending satellite terminals to Iran, the country's foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Starlink is one of several global satellite networks, intended to offer telephone and data connections regardless of where you are.
Starlink is a project of the American space company SpaceX, where multi-billionaire Elon Musk is the largest shareholder.
The satellites began to be launched in 2019. In January 2026, the Starlink network consisted of just over 9,400 small satellites in low Earth orbit.
The services are quite expensive, both in terms of the receiver you need to buy and the subscription cost. They are popular in sparsely populated areas and as an alternative where ground infrastructure is lacking. This has given them an important role in war zones, including in Ukraine.
