White House in Talks with Musk to Set Up Starlink in Iran

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer media award in Berlin on Dec. 1, 2020. (AP)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer media award in Berlin on Dec. 1, 2020. (AP)
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White House in Talks with Musk to Set Up Starlink in Iran

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer media award in Berlin on Dec. 1, 2020. (AP)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer media award in Berlin on Dec. 1, 2020. (AP)

The White House is in talks with billionaire Elon Musk about setting up SpaceX's satellite internet service Starlink in Iran, CNN reported on Friday, citing officials familiar with the matter.

The satellite-based broadband service could help Iranians circumvent the regime's restrictions on accessing the internet and certain social media platforms.

The country has been engulfed by protests that erupted after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody last month.

The US Treasury Department last month said that some satellite internet equipment can be exported to Iran, suggesting that the company may not need a license to provide satellite broadband service in the country.

Musk had then said he would activate Starlink in response to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's tweet that the United States took action "to advance internet freedom and the free flow of information" to Iranians.

SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Musk said on Tuesday Starlink has not received any funding from the US Department of Defense for its services in Ukraine, adding the company was losing about $20 million a month due to unpaid service and costs on security measures for cyberwar defense.

SpaceX is aiming to grow Starlink, as it races against rival satellite communications companies such as OneWeb and Amazon.com Inc's yet to launch Project Kuiper.



Khamenei: Iran is Ready to Respond to Any Renewed Military Attack

A handout picture made available by the Iranian supreme leader office shows, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khameni speaking during a meeting with members of Iranian judiciary in Tehran, Iran, 16 July 2025. EPA/IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER OFFICE
A handout picture made available by the Iranian supreme leader office shows, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khameni speaking during a meeting with members of Iranian judiciary in Tehran, Iran, 16 July 2025. EPA/IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER OFFICE
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Khamenei: Iran is Ready to Respond to Any Renewed Military Attack

A handout picture made available by the Iranian supreme leader office shows, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khameni speaking during a meeting with members of Iranian judiciary in Tehran, Iran, 16 July 2025. EPA/IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER OFFICE
A handout picture made available by the Iranian supreme leader office shows, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khameni speaking during a meeting with members of Iranian judiciary in Tehran, Iran, 16 July 2025. EPA/IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER OFFICE

Iran is ready to respond to any renewed military attack, the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in comments carried by state TV on Wednesday, adding Tehran was capable of giving a bigger blow to adversaries than the one delivered during the 12-day Iran-Israel war last month.

He also accused the US of being an accomplice to Israel’s crimes, describing Israel a “cancerous tumor”.

He added: “Fighting the US and its ‘dog on leash’ Israel is praiseworthy”.