US-israeli Military Strategy on Iran Featured Starlink as Central Element: Report

A recent report has unveiled the involvement of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network in facilitating US-Israeli operations against Iran, indicating that the technology, originally promoted as civilian infrastructure, has been a crucial element in orchestrating aggressive actions against the Islamic Republic.

A recent investigation by Reuters, drawing upon Pentagon documents and numerous interviews, has revealed that Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network played a critical role as the operational backbone for U.S. military drone strikes during the conflicts against Iran in June 2025 and February 2026.

The report disclosed that the network was utilized as an instrument for political destabilization, aligned with Western-supported initiatives to fracture the Islamic Republic.

In a 2023 arrangement, SpaceX has begun offering a military-specific variant known as Starshield to the Pentagon. These specialized terminals are capable of linking both with commercial Starlink satellites and an independent, more secure constellation, also termed Starshield.

At the onset of the conflict, Starlink had already established itself as an integral element in U.S. military operations targeting Iran. During testing phases and early field deployments, the satellite internet network provided crucial support to a range of systems, including aerial attack drones and unmanned surface vessels, both of which were utilized for intelligence gathering and precision strike missions.

Reports have emerged indicating that at the onset of US military actions, Starshield terminals were actively deployed across more than a dozen drone systems.

A Reuters investigation has verified that Starlink was supplying real-time video feeds and command guidance to LUCAS loitering munitions, which have been reverse-engineered from Iran’s Shahed drones.

Thousands of Starlink terminals have reportedly been illicitly transported into Iran, supplementing their utilization for official military purposes.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that in January 2026, approximately 6,000 Starlink terminals were clandestinely moved into Iran by the United States. It is stated that the US State Department funded nearly 7,000 of these terminals, primarily by reallocating money from internet-freedom programs designed to support anti-regime activists in bypassing Iran’s internet restrictions.

An estimated 30,000 to 50,000 Starlink terminals have reportedly been smuggled into Iran since 2022.

The United States’ involvement was direct and intentional, with Trump reportedly being aware of the smuggling of dual-use technology that was facilitating the deployment of lethal drones onto Iranian soil.

Western media depicted the smuggling operation as an initiative aimed at promoting “Internet Freedom.”

Documents from the Pentagon, as scrutinized by Reuters, indicate that the terminals in question were being utilized within a US military network. In a related development, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has announced the discovery and seizure of a significant quantity of Starlink satellite systems, which were reportedly dispatched by the United States and Israel.

Iranian officials have seized communication terminals and implemented jamming equipment in key urban areas to interfere with connectivity. The country’s intelligence ministry has issued a warning, claiming that Starlink terminals are being utilized for “electronic espionage and sabotage,” categorizing them as “anti-security goods.”

In January 2026, amid foreign-backed unrest in Iran, the Wall Street Journal disclosed that the United States had accelerated the deployment of Starlink services to the region.