OMM Redaksiyası
Iran says it successfully disabled “Starlink” terminals during nationwide protests in January and has other tools to counter the satellite internet service, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, head of Iran’s National Cyberspace Center, said the operation was carried out during what Iranian authorities describe as a coup. He said it was the first time Iran had successfully disabled the terminals.
Aghamiri claimed Western media had also reported at the time that Iran had conducted an operation against “Starlink”. He described it as a successful technical operation and said Tehran had other measures at its disposal.
His comments followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 24, where he displayed a “Starlink” terminal. Netanyahu said the device enabled Iranians to access information and accused Tehran of spending large sums on internet censorship.
Anti-government demonstrations spread across Iran in January and intensified on Jan. 8 and 9, amid clashes between protesters and security forces. Iranian authorities imposed a nationwide internet blackout on Jan. 8.
“Starlink” was among the few ways for Iranians to access the internet during the blackout, although reports at the time said the satellite service faced significant interference and disruptions. Aghamiri attributed those disruptions to an Iranian operation targeting the terminals.
“Starlink”, operated by US space technology company “SpaceX”, provides internet connectivity through a network of satellites.
