Iran has warned against the military use of Starlink, saying it has developed domestic technology capable of countering cyber threats linked to the satellite internet service.
“Starlink is engaging in military behaviour beyond a commercial enterprise, and the attempt to smuggle its equipment into the country indicates the enemy's greed for harming the cyberspace, which must be managed with vigilance,” said Mohammad-Amin Aghamiri, secretary of Iran's Supreme Cyberspace Council and director of the National Cyberspace Centre.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Aghamiri said Iran had successfully disabled a Starlink terminal during unrest in January, using “only one out of our many local technologies”.
“We are ready to share our experience with the friendly countries which are concerned over violation of their national sovereignty,” he added.
Aghamiri said Iran's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology had lodged multiple complaints with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) against SpaceX and Norway over Starlink's operations.
“Both Norway and SpaceX have neglected the ITU resolutions issued in favour of Iran while acknowledging use of its satellites for command, control and spying during the Israeli-US war against Iran.”
In June 2025, Space Norway, a leading Northern European satellite operator, announced an agreement with Starlink, operated by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), to provide low Earth orbit satellite connectivity services with immediate effect.
Iran's Foreign Ministry also summoned Norway's ambassador, Paal Bjørnestad, to lodge a formal protest over Starlink's activities.
In a statement last week, the ministry accused Oslo of failing to act against what Tehran described as unauthorised Starlink operations inside Iranian territory.
“The Norwegian government is obligated to adopt necessary measures to prevent unauthorised transmissions by Starlink within Iranian territory,” the statement said.
“Despite repeated official follow-ups by Iran, Oslo has failed to take any effective action.”
Aghamiri said Iran was facing what he described as a hybrid war involving conventional military operations, economic pressure and cyberattacks.
He claimed that waves of cyberattacks had preceded military operations but were successfully repelled using domestically developed technology.
“We are seriously developing the National Information Network to guarantee civilian access and services in the event of major threats and international outage.”
Aghamiri also said Iran's information and communications technology infrastructure had continued to support essential civilian services, including banking and education, despite disruptions linked to security threats.
“Iran’s ICT ecosystem kept providing civilian services including in banking and education in the event of outages due to major security threats during two military attacks in 2025 and 2026 as well as the January 2026 coup,” he said, referring to unrest earlier this year.
Asked about the role of communications technology in armed conflicts, Aghamiri argued that civilian systems could become military assets depending on how they were used.
“Any tool or technology that is used on the battlefield is practically considered a military tool.”
“Whether a company decides to put its tool in the service of peace and human communication or to turn it into a tool of war depends on the approach of that company.”
When asked whether Iran would consider Starlink a “legitimate target” because of its alleged military use against the country, Aghamiri stopped short of giving a direct answer.
“Our policy in dealing with these cases is based on a careful analysis of its functionality in the field.”
Read more:
Georgia and Uzbekistan are aiming to nearly quadruple annual trade to $1 billion, up from $267.6 million in 2025, as the two countries seek to stre...
Iran has warned against the military use of Starlink, saying it has developed domestic technology capable of countering cyber threats linked to the...
Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of blaming Kabul for its domestic political and security problems, as Islamabad repeated claims that militants are...
One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Georgia and Uzbekistan are aiming to nearly quadruple annual trade to $1 billion, up from $267.6 million in 2025, as the two countries seek to strengthen economic ties and expand transport links.
Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of blaming Kabul for its domestic political and security problems, as Islamabad repeated claims that militants are using Afghan territory to launch attacks across the border.
Pakistan has called on Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to crack down on militants operating from Afghan territory, warning that cross-border attacks pose a growing threat to regional security.
Saudi Arabia has vowed to remain resilient after a wave of Houthi missile and drone attacks killed around 20 people at Riyadh's main airport, raising concerns over the kingdom's air defences and disrupting flights across the region.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign and ratify their peace agreement as soon as possible, calling it a crucial step towards securing his country's long-term stability.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment