Washington Asked Musk to Activate and Disable Starlink in 4 Countries
Reuters revealed that Washington asked SpaceX to shut down Starlink to prevent Iranian proxy militias in Yemen and Lebanon from using it, and asked to activate it in Iran and Ukraine.
Reuters revealed that US President Joe Biden's administration asked SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, to disable the Starlink service in Yemen and Lebanon to prevent Iranian proxy militias from using it, in one of a series of similar US requests over the years.
The agency explained that the US requests included activating and disabling the Starlink service in Ukraine, Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon, according to informed sources.
Reuters added that the Biden administration requested the activation of Starlink in Iran and Ukraine, while President Donald Trump's administration requested providing the service in Iran following US-Israeli strikes in 2025 and 2026.
Regarding Ukraine, sources stated that the order to throttle the Starshield service, the military version of the Starlink network, came from within the White House. Trump said on Friday that he had not spoken with Musk, and that he would work to rectify the matter.
What do these terms mean?
Starlink: A satellite network for broadband internet operated by SpaceX, providing connectivity in areas not reached by terrestrial networks.
Starshield: A military version of the Starlink network, used by government and military entities for communications and sensing.
Low Earth Orbit: A range of space relatively close to the Earth's surface, used by internet satellites to reduce signal latency.
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