The satellite system has proven crucial for frontline coordination and drone warfare

FILE PHOTO: An armed militant browses the internet next to a Starlink device in Myanmar, February 24, 2025 ©  Thierry Falise / LightRocket via Getty Images

US Presidential Envoy for Special Assignments Richard Grenell has urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to provide free Starlink access across Iran so that his “friends” can have uninterrupted “access to information.”

US President Donald Trump has announced that American forces have carried out a coordinated hit using missiles and an airstrike targeting three nuclear facilities in Iran, just over a week after Israel launched its first attack on the country. 

“Can you turn on Starlink for free in Iran for the next few weeks, @elonmusk? My friends inside Iran don’t have regular access to information right now. I’ll chip in a donation and I think others would, too,” wrote Grenell, the former acting Director of National Intelligence, in a post on X.

Musk has not yet responded to the request, at least not publicly. The billionaire previously said that the “beams are on,” indicating the service is technically available – although accessing Starlink requires a special satellite dish to receive and transmit signals.

 

READ MORE: Starlink is ‘backbone’ of Ukrainian military – Musk

Starlink’s constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites was originally promoted as a means of providing high-speed, low-latency internet to remote and rural areas. Trump has praised the system for offering vital connectivity in disaster zones, particularly after hurricanes Helene and Milton, when traditional networks failed.

However, the system has also proven critical for battlefield coordination and drone warfare. SpaceX has supplied the Ukrainian military with Starlink since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022, delivering more than 40,000 terminals. Kiev’s forces have become fully dependent on the network, and disabling it would result in the collapse of the “entire frontline,” Musk claimed in March.

 

READ MORE: Israel doesn’t go rogue – it goes with the Pentagon’s green light

When Israel lauched Operation Rising Lion against Iran on June 13, its intelligence agency Mossad reportedly activated sleeper cells who had smuggled drones into the country to strike defensive infrastructure from within.

Iranian authorities have severely restricted communications, isolating the country’s internet from the rest of the world. They also urged citizens to delete WhatsApp, accusing Israel of using the Meta-owned app to spy on users.

Richard Grenell, a former US ambassador to Germany and acting Director of National Intelligence, now serves as the US Presidential Envoy for Special Missions under Trump. In this role, he has handled a wide range of diplomatic crises and international back-channel efforts.