reported the newspaperWall Street JournalThe effort to smuggle the equipment used to power the Internet through the Starlink service into Iran is being spearheaded by a group of Iranian-American businessmen and activists in California.
The newspaper, citing sources within the group responsible for these efforts, revealed that the smugglers are working to repack the devices into boxes intended for microwave ovens or other household items.
Starlink devices are transported to Iran via various routes, including by sea, via boats in the Persian Gulf that go directly to Iranian ports, as well as shipped via vehicles that cross land borders or are manually transported across the mountainous borders with Iraq, according to the newspaper.
Members of the group said smugglers charged up to $600 or more of the price of the equipment to transport such dangerous goods, noting that Iranian authorities seized only one shipment.
An Iranian government spokesman did not respond to questions from the Wall Street Journal about the smuggling of Starlink devices capable of activating satellite internet service.
Last September, the United States eased restrictions on the export of technology imposed on Iran to expand access to Internet services that the Iranian government had limited after the crackdown on demonstrations.
The easing of US restrictions has allowed SpaceX to deploy Starlink Internet service, virtual private networks and other networking technologies in Iran.
SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment from The Wall Street Journal.
Unlike a fiber optic connection, the Starlink service works through a dish that communicates with satellites that send Internet data to and from ground stations.
The router connects to the dish, allowing users to access the Internet via “Wi-Fi” signals without the Iranian authorities being able to censor this service.
The group has been working to smuggle about 200 Starlink devices into Iran by supporters of a months-long human rights movement to help protesters evade authorities’ slowdown or partial blocking of internet speeds.
The Iranian government has cut bandwidth, restricted social media sites and cracked down on virtual private networks, according to analysts and reports from non-governmental organizations.
However, determining how far Iranian authorities should go in blocking Internet access is difficult for Tehran.
According to the American newspaper, if Iran shuts down the Internet completely, this could aggravate the already serious economic problems of the country, exacerbating the protests.
If the crackdown eases, riots that erupted after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini could spread in mid-September, days after she was arrested by morality police for violating strict Islamic dress code.
In remarks on Dec. 3, Iran’s chief prosecutor, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, said that “the only solution is to shut down the Internet completely,” which state media said most Iranian officials do not favor.
