Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Starlink now offering free internet service inside Iran
A Starlink antenna for aircraft on display at Al-Maktoum International Airport during the Dubai Airshow 2025 in Dubai on November 20, 2025. (Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)
The satellite internet provider Starlink now offers free service in Iran, activists say.
Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped get the units into Iran, tells The Associated Press that the free service has started. Other activists also confirm in messages online that the service is free.
Starlink has been the only way for Iranians to communicate with the outside world since authorities shut down the internet Thursday night as nationwide protests swelled and they began a bloody crackdown against demonstrators. Starlink itself doesn’t immediately acknowledge the decision.
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