US Gives Elon Musk Greenlight To Activate Starlink Internet For Iranians

US Gives Elon Musk Greenlight To Activate Starlink Internet For Iranians. 

• Musk said the company wanted to provide the Starlink satellite broadband service – already provided to Ukraine – to Iranians and would ask for a sanctions exception.

The United States government has given SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk the green light to activate the satellite internet service Starlink to help Iranians protesting against the death of a woman in police custody, AlJazeera reports.

Iran had restricted access to social media and certain content in Iran over the recent protests rocking the middle-eastern state for the past eight days. Social media networks like Instagram and WhatsApp have been cut off according to residents and internet watchdog NetBlocks

Deadly protests around Iran followed the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died after being detained by “morality police” who questioned the way she was wearing her headscarf.

There has been significant internet outages were reported across the country on Saturday, with one of the biggest mobile phone operators disrupted, leaving millions of Iranians offline.

The report says the US Treasury Department on Friday issued guidance expanding internet services available to Iranians despite US sanctions on the country.

Following the protests, the repressive Iranian regime has carried out arrests of hundreds of angry demonstrators, fuelling more crowds of Iranian citizens taking to the streets of major cities across Iran for eight straight nights.

According to media reports, Iranian State television said the number of deaths in “recent riots” had risen to 35, up from 17 previously, including at least five security personnel.

Musk could not be reached for comment or clarification regarding Starlink’s clearance to operate in Iran when Aljazeera reached out to him.

However, he said on Monday the company wanted to provide the Starlink satellite broadband service – already provided to Ukraine for its fight against Russia’s invasion – to Iranians and would ask for a sanctions exception.

Irans President, Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that Iran must “deal decisively with those who oppose the country’s security and tranquility”, Iranian state media reported.

Raisi’s comments were made in a condolence telephone call to the family of a security agent stabbed to death last week, allegedly by protesters enraged over the death of Amini.

Meanwhile public anger has flared around the world since authorities in Iran announced the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained for allegedly wearing a hijab headscarf in an “improper” way.

The government response has sparked international alarm and widespread support for women’s rights in Iran.

In Istanbul, women cut their hair in solidarity while in Lebanon people gathered at Martyrs’ Square. Also, in New York city, protesters confronted the UN General Assembly, where Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was scheduled to speak.

Source | Choc News