Iran’s theocracy again cut its population off from the world, ordering internet shutdowns as mass protests erupted across multiple cities. The regime’s blackout is a deliberate attempt to hide brutality and silence witnesses while the people risk everything to demand freedom and accountability.
Elon Musk responded by activating Starlink satellites over the country, tweeting that “the beams are on,” and reports say dozens — nearly one hundred — of the satellite terminals have been brought into Iran by activists and sympathizers. This is the kind of decisive action that actual defenders of liberty take when tyrants try to erase the truth.
Washington, to its credit, has previously loosened sanctions to allow internet tools to reach Iranians, explicitly recognizing that access to information is a human right and a strategic counter to censorship. That policy clarity made it possible for private actors and NGOs to work faster to get life-saving connectivity into the hands of protestors.
Make no mistake: getting Starlink terminals into Iran is dangerous and technically challenging, and Iranian authorities have tried to jam and block these efforts while threatening harsh penalties for those who use unauthorized devices. Brave citizens and underground networks have nevertheless smuggled equipment and improvised to keep their stories and images flowing to the world.
Elon Musk deserves credit for stepping up where many governments and corporations shrink from confrontation with murderous regimes. Conservatives should applaud any action that spreads freedom, exposes tyranny, and empowers ordinary people to tell the truth about what their rulers are doing behind closed doors.
Americans who love liberty must stand with the Iranian people, support policies and technologies that break censorship, and call out any American institution that hesitates in the face of oppression. This is a moment to champion courage, back real-world solutions, and ensure the persecuted know they are not forgotten by a free nation.
