Iran Arrests Man Accused of Running Starlink Internet Network

 A man leaves a subway train past an image of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP)
A man leaves a subway train past an image of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Arrests Man Accused of Running Starlink Internet Network

 A man leaves a subway train past an image of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP)
A man leaves a subway train past an image of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP)

Iranian authorities have arrested a man accused of leading a network that sold access to the internet via Starlink terminals, a technology that is banned in Iran, the ISNA news agency reported on Friday.

Iran has been digitally sealed off from the rest of the world by a complete internet blackout since the start of the Middle East war.

To get around those restrictions, some Iranians have turned to Starlink terminals from the US company SpaceX, which connect to the internet via satellites.

Doing so is a criminal offence in Iran punishable with prison time.

"A 37-year-old man, who had put in place a network in several provinces of the country to sell access to the unrestricted internet via Starlink, has been arrested" in Shiraz, ISNA reported, citing a deputy police commander for Fars province.

It did not say when the arrest took place.

Iranians were previously placed under an 18-day internet blackout in January, the longest so far, amid anti-government protests during which thousands were killed.

At the time, the authorities managed to disrupt the operation of Starlink terminals.

Under Iranian law, people found guilty of "the use, transportation, purchase or sale of electronic internet communication devices such as Starlink" used to access banned content can be jailed for up to two years in prison.



Trump Says Iran Accord to Be Signed ‘Shortly’, ‘Maybe’ Thursday or Friday

US President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, 17 June 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, 17 June 2026. (EPA)
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Trump Says Iran Accord to Be Signed ‘Shortly’, ‘Maybe’ Thursday or Friday

US President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, 17 June 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, 17 June 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he expected the accord with Iran ending the Middle East war to be signed "shortly" but added uncertainty over the date.

"The deal we reached with Iran on Sunday will be signed shortly, tomorrow (Thursday), maybe the next day (Friday)," Trump said at the G7 summit, after previous announcements that it would be signed Friday in Switzerland.

"We are going to most likely sign a deal," he added.

Trump said Washington "did send a copy" of its accord with Iran to end the Middle East war, following reports of tensions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Insisting he maintains a good relationship with Netanyahu, Trump reaffirmed his criticism at the G7 summit of Israel's campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying "they (Israel) could do a much better job".

He added that United ⁠States, in a parallel ⁠effort to ‌the ‌US-Iran deal, will ‌discuss ‌Iran's ballistic missiles and armed proxies ‌with Gulf nations. 

Trump also thanked China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir ‌Putin for ‌what ​he ‌called ⁠their ​neutrality during the ⁠war with Iran.

"I just want to thank ⁠them because ‌they ‌made ​it ‌a lot better," ‌Trump said, adding that both leaders had been "neutral."


Italy Says to Re-Open Tehran Embassy on Friday

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ahead of the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, 15 June 2026. (EPA)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ahead of the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, 15 June 2026. (EPA)
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Italy Says to Re-Open Tehran Embassy on Friday

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ahead of the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, 15 June 2026. (EPA)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ahead of the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, 15 June 2026. (EPA)

Italy's embassy to Tehran will re-open on Friday after more than three months of closure because of the Middle East war, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

"Our embassy in Tehran will re-open its doors on Friday," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italy's parliament.

After the US and Israel began the war with air strikes on Iran, Italy in early March decided to temporarily close its embassy and move its staff to neighboring Azerbaijan for security reasons.

"Our ambassador will return to the Iranian capital with all our diplomats and foreign ministry officials," Tajani said.

"In a complex region like the Middle East, caution is essential. But, for the first time, after weeks of war and faltering negotiations, a tangible glimmer of peace is emerging," he said.

The US and Iran this week agreed a framework deal to end the Middle East war.

The agreement is due to be formally signed on Friday in Switzerland.


EU Has Made Diplomatic ‘Contacts’ with Kremlin, Says Official

 European Council President Antonio Costa walks, during the official arrivals ceremony for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP)
European Council President Antonio Costa walks, during the official arrivals ceremony for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP)
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EU Has Made Diplomatic ‘Contacts’ with Kremlin, Says Official

 European Council President Antonio Costa walks, during the official arrivals ceremony for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP)
European Council President Antonio Costa walks, during the official arrivals ceremony for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP)

The office of EU chief Antonio Costa has had "brief" diplomatic contacts with the Kremlin to open channels of communication, Brussels said Wednesday, as Europe debates whether to talk to Russia about ending the Ukraine war.

"In the past few weeks, brief contacts at diplomatic level were made to open communication channels but nothing was discussed on substance," an EU official said on condition of anonymity.

Discussions on Europe re-engaging with Moscow have become louder amid deadlocked US efforts to halt the war in Ukraine while President Donald Trump's attention has been consumed by Iran.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky -- who is due to join EU leaders at a summit in Brussels Thursday -- has pushed for Europe to play a more active role.

"In any future scenario, the EU has specific interests that will need to be defended, therefore it is important to have established diplomatic channels with Russia," the EU official said.

"The EU is not a mediator. It supports Ukraine in its efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace."

The official said that European Council president Costa -- who chairs meetings of EU leaders -- "has been coordinating closely with European leaders on possible engagement with Russia and the issues to be discussed when the right moment comes".

British, French and German ambassadors to Russia last week urged direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in a rare meeting at Russia's foreign ministry last Thursday.

Trump at a G7 meeting involving Zelensky in France on Tuesday said Moscow should "make a deal" to end its war on Ukraine.

Zelensky said Vladimir Putin had rejected an offer of a meeting at the G7 but said he had also suggested to Trump that he could meet the Russian leader in the United States.