Iran has experienced a widespread internet outage following the Israeli attack that targeted sensitive nuclear facilities, and while Iranian authorities imposed strict digital restrictions on citizens, American billionaire Elon Musk intervened in the crisis, announcing the activation of the Starlink service for Iranians, in a move seen as a direct challenge to government restrictions.
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, confirmed on Saturday the activation of the Starlink service for Iranians after the Iranian government restricted its electronic services following Israeli attacks targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Starlink is a satellite system produced by SpaceX that provides internet to people, especially in areas where regular internet access is difficult. The satellites orbit close to the Earth, which helps provide fast internet with minimal delay.
Musk's decision to activate Starlink in Iran comes after the Iranian Ministry of Communications announced temporary restrictions and outages in internet service nationwide.
A statement from the ministry said: "Due to the special circumstances the country is going through, temporary restrictions have been imposed on the internet in the country."
Yesterday was the first day of the war, resulting in destruction and devastation for both sides, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war for a long time, and thus Iran vowed to respond, and in fact retaliated against Israel's attack with a similar assault that cost both sides lives and facilities.
This comes at a time when global markets and economies are just beginning to recover from losses incurred due to the trade war waged by Trump against most countries by imposing tariffs on American imports from those countries, the largest of which was against China.