Two foreigners are arrested in Iran for importing Starlink technology to access the internet, agency says

Photo from April 14, 2026 shows rubble from a residential building attacked on March 4 in Tehran, capital of Iran Vahid Salemi/AP Four people were arrested in northwestern Iran, the Tasnim news agency reported this Sunday (19). The group was accused of being part of a “spy network linked to the United States and Israel”. Two of the detainees are foreigners (their nationalities were not disclosed) and had allegedly imported satellite internet equipment into the country, such as Starlink (from SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk). The import and use of Starlink are considered serious crimes in Iran, especially during the almost total internet blockade imposed by the government since the start of the war with the United States and Israel in February 2026. The country is currently experiencing more than seven weeks of internet blackout. See the videos that are trending on g1 Understand internet blackouts Since the beginning of the conflict, Iran has imposed one of the longest and most severe internet blackouts in recent history, affecting the vast majority of its 92 million inhabitants. The objective is to limit the circulation of information, videos of protests, coordination of opponents and communication with the outside world. Monitoring bodies such as NetBlocks classify the cut as one of the most serious ever recorded. With the collapse of the conventional network, many Iranians turned to Starlink to bypass censorship. The company even zeroed out fees for users in Iran at times. However, the equipment is illegal in the country, and authorities treat it as a tool for “enemy espionage”. Iranian intelligence claims to have confiscated hundreds of Starlink terminals in nationwide operations.

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