February 13, 2026
The US State Department had purchased about 7,000 of the satellite terminals for use in Iran in the months preceding the protests that erupted in January after the Iranian currency collapsed.
US Treasury officials manufactured the collapse of the rial by choking off the supply of US dollars into the Iranian economy.
Mossad-backed rioters and armed gangs carried out a wave of attacks against protesters, security forces, government buildings, and mosques in an effort to sow chaos. Western and Israeli officials blamed the violence and casualties on the Iranian government, to use as a pretext for a possible US and Israeli bombing campaign.
In an effort to limit the chaos, Iranian officials cut off access to the internet across the country for several weeks. By mid-January, the riots and protests had come to an end, with Iranian officials arresting activists with links to outside countries and intelligence agencies who caused the unrest.
According to the WSJ report, the Starlink purchases followed a decision by White House officials to redirect funds from other initiatives aimed at bypassing internet restrictions in the Islamic Republic.
“For months, senior officials pushed Starlink as the best way to support antiregime movements inside Iran, alongside or instead of virtual private networks, known more commonly as VPNs,” the US-based news outlet reported.
The effort was led by State Department official Mora Namdar, who sent a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in August urging the acquisition of Starlink expressly for delivery to Iran.
While the State Department “has funded a variety of VPNs and other internet freedom technologies, it is useless when the internet is shut down,” Namdar wrote.
The US officials told WSJ that “President Trump was aware of the shipments,” however, they stated they could not confirm whether he personally approved the plan to smuggle the equipment into Iran.
On Thursday, Trump ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to depart the Caribbean for West Asia as part of the “armada” he has sent to the region to pressure Iran.
Last week, a new round of negotiations between the US and Iran was initiated to avert war. At the urging of Israel, the US is demanding that Iran give up its nuclear program, ballistic missile program, and support for resistance movements in the region, in particular Hezbollah in Lebanon – which Iran said is “impossible.”
Preparations to sneak in the
satellite internet devices into the country began months before the
Mossad-backed riots began in January
Washington covertly sent 6,000
Starlink terminals to Iran to help protesters and rioters communicate during
internet shutdowns, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on 13 February,
citing US officials.
The US State Department had purchased about 7,000 of the satellite terminals for use in Iran in the months preceding the protests that erupted in January after the Iranian currency collapsed.
US Treasury officials manufactured the collapse of the rial by choking off the supply of US dollars into the Iranian economy.
Mossad-backed rioters and armed gangs carried out a wave of attacks against protesters, security forces, government buildings, and mosques in an effort to sow chaos. Western and Israeli officials blamed the violence and casualties on the Iranian government, to use as a pretext for a possible US and Israeli bombing campaign.
In an effort to limit the chaos, Iranian officials cut off access to the internet across the country for several weeks. By mid-January, the riots and protests had come to an end, with Iranian officials arresting activists with links to outside countries and intelligence agencies who caused the unrest.
According to the WSJ report, the Starlink purchases followed a decision by White House officials to redirect funds from other initiatives aimed at bypassing internet restrictions in the Islamic Republic.
“For months, senior officials pushed Starlink as the best way to support antiregime movements inside Iran, alongside or instead of virtual private networks, known more commonly as VPNs,” the US-based news outlet reported.
The effort was led by State Department official Mora Namdar, who sent a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in August urging the acquisition of Starlink expressly for delivery to Iran.
While the State Department “has funded a variety of VPNs and other internet freedom technologies, it is useless when the internet is shut down,” Namdar wrote.
The US officials told WSJ that “President Trump was aware of the shipments,” however, they stated they could not confirm whether he personally approved the plan to smuggle the equipment into Iran.
On Thursday, Trump ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to depart the Caribbean for West Asia as part of the “armada” he has sent to the region to pressure Iran.
Last week, a new round of negotiations between the US and Iran was initiated to avert war. At the urging of Israel, the US is demanding that Iran give up its nuclear program, ballistic missile program, and support for resistance movements in the region, in particular Hezbollah in Lebanon – which Iran said is “impossible.”
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