U.S. reportedly smuggled 6,000 Starlink terminals into Iran to bypass internet restrictions

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the United States secretly facilitated the delivery of approximately 6,000 Starlink satellite internet terminals to Iran. The operation aimed to provide citizens with internet access following severe government restrictions and crackdowns on mass protests. The U.S. State Department reportedly purchased nearly 7,000 devices from Elon Musk's SpaceX, with the majority of transactions occurring in January. Funding for the project was redirected from existing internet freedom programs by senior officials within the Trump administration. While officials state that Donald Trump was aware of the operation, it remains unclear if he provided the final authorization. Tehran has previously accused Washington of inciting domestic unrest, a claim the U.S. denies while maintaining its support for digital access. This marks the first instance of the U.S. government directly providing such technology to the country.