Iran enters sixth day of near-total internet blackout amid Starlink crackdown

Wednesday 14 January 2026 - 17:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Iran enters sixth day of near-total internet blackout amid Starlink crackdown

Iranian authorities have enforced a near-complete internet shutdown for over 132 hours as of Wednesday, severing tens of millions from the world while security forces conduct house-to-house raids hunting satellite internet gear, according to international monitors and human rights groups. The blackout began January 8, 2026, around 8:30 p.m. local time, coinciding with nationwide protests sparked by the country's economic crisis late last month. NetBlocks, an internet observatory, called it Iran's "most severe" outage ever, with national connectivity stuck at about 1% of normal levels.

On Tuesday, officials allowed limited outbound mobile calls for the first time since the cutoff, though texts remained disabled and inbound calls from abroad impossible. While official internet stayed offline, SpaceX waived Starlink subscription fees in Iran, per Ahmad Ahmadian of Holistic Resilience, which aids secure access for Iranians. Los Angeles-based activist Mehdi Yahyanejad told the Associated Press that "free subscriptions for Starlink terminals are fully functional."

Security forces ramped up efforts to thwart this workaround. Witnesses in northern Tehran reported raids on apartment buildings and roof inspections for dish antennas. The Wall Street Journal noted authorities "launched searches and seized Starlink antennas in western Tehran" over the prior weekend. Amir Rashidi of Miaan Group's digital rights arm described it as an "electronic war." Iranian officials deployed what experts term "military-grade jamming" equipment to disrupt Starlink signals, initially hitting about 30% of upload and download traffic, surging to over 80% by 10 p.m. local time when protests typically gather. Since mid-2025, possessing Starlink gear has been illegal in Iran, punishable as espionage.

The communications blackout has severely hampered independent verification of casualties. U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported Wednesday at least 2,571 deaths, including 2,403 protesters, 147 government affiliates, and 12 children. An Iranian official acknowledged around 2,000 deaths Tuesday, the government's first overall toll disclosure. HRANA's Skylar Thompson told the Associated Press the figure was "shocking, especially reaching four times the deaths from the months-long 2022 Mahsa Amini protests in just two weeks." She cautioned: "We're horrified, but we believe this is still conservative."

NetBlocks noted Wednesday that "the true scale of killings is obscured by lack of connectivity." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed horror at the escalating violence against protesters and urged Iranian authorities to restore full internet access immediately.