These satellite internet terminals have become popular among opposition and activist networks operating in the country amid an ongoing nationwide internet blackout during the U.S.-Iran conflict.

Sardar Ahmad-Reza Radan, commander-in-chief of the Iranian police, was quoted by the outlet as saying, "From the beginning of the Ramadan War, 48 key members of networks, cells, anti-revolutionary groups, and espionage rings were arrested, and 139 Starlink devices were also discovered."

With the U.S.-Iran conflict entering its second month, the internet-tracking firm NetBlocks reported earlier that Iran has been under an internet blackout for over 720 hours.

Before the conflict broke out, there were reports that U.S.-aligned activist NGOs had smuggled in thousands of these satellite terminals to evade a ground-based internet blackout designed to stop the flow of information and prevent widespread uprisings. A Starlink terminal connects to a satellite in low Earth orbit that beams internet hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from ground-based repeaters in surrounding countries.

We also tracked the black-market prices of Starlink terminals in Iran shortly before the conflict erupted, citing a report that said these terminals, which normally cost several hundred dollars in the West, were going for as much as $4,000.

The internet blackout across Iran has created an information vacuum that is being filled by state-controlled narratives, while the US and Israel have hoped to run information operations on the ground through Starlinks.