How the Pentagon smuggled Elon Musk’s Starlink into Iran
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Good morning. American and Iranian officials are set for talks today amid ongoing threats of U.S. strikes. And as Iran suppresses its opposition at home, the Wall Street Journal reveals how the Pentagon has been smuggling Internet access into the country.
It is the first time that the U.S. has ever done such a thing like this. So it's a covert but still severe escalation in the way the U.S. is dealing with Iran.
ProPublica gets rare access to what life is like for children inside a Texas detention facility. And remembering Robert Duvall, cinema's greatest conciliary, who has died at the age of 95. It's Tuesday, February 17th.
How did the Pentagon smuggle Starlink into Iran?
I'm Cecilia Ley, and this is Apple News Today. The U.S. and Iran are set to hold more talks in Switzerland today over Iran's nuclear program. It comes at a delicate time. Trump has warned the regime that he was considering military action and has built up the naval presence in the region. Yesterday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn't say much to indicate that a deal's anywhere close.
I think if there's an opportunity here to diplomatically reach an agreement that addresses the things we're concerned about, we would be very open and welcoming to that. But I don't want to overstate it either. It's going to be hard. It's been very difficult for anyone to do real deals with Iran because we're dealing with radical Shia clerics who are making theological decisions, not geopolitical ones. But let's see what happens. I hope it works out. We all hope it works out.
Iran's leadership is under pressure at home, too. It killed thousands of its own citizens in a violent crackdown and temporarily shut down online communications to suppress widespread protests against their rule. The latest protests began in late December, initially triggered by economic grievances, including a sharp collapse of Iran's currency. Iran has accused the Trump administration of fomenting unrest in the country, a claim the U.S. denies. But The Wall Street Journal reports that, behind the scenes, the administration has been engaged in a covert U.S. mission to help keep protesters in the country connected to the Internet.
The U.S. smuggled in roughly 6,000 or so Starlink terminals, which is the satellite internet company Elon Musk owns, and it allows a user to connect to the internet via satellite.
Alex Ward is a national security reporter with The Wall Street Journal who had the scoop.
Of course, if they have more access satellite terminals, the opposition group, as fractured as it is in Iran, can start to communicate and organize against the regime.
It's the first time that the U.S. has directly sent Starlink terminals to Iran. The White House declined to comment, but the journal's story would suggest that the administration was more involved in supporting protesters than what was previously known. Analysts and activists told Ward that tens of thousands of Iranians own the terminals, but there are big risks to having them.
If someone were to be found at the Starlink terminal, they already could get many years in jail or even face capital punishment and executions. And now with this in public, there is a chance that the Iranian government goes, anyone with the Starlink could be suspected of receiving a U.S. one and therefore they could face even harsher punishment.
The State Department estimated that about 30 million Iranians access the Internet using the U.S.-funded virtual private networks, or VPNs, during 2022 protests. Ward said that it remains to be seen if the Starlink smuggling will have any discernible impact on the talks today.
As the White House continues to expand a nationwide deportation program, hundreds of children have been detained across the country. The Biden administration halted the practice, but it's been revived this past year. Most families pass through the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas. The detention facility is the only one that holds families and was built during President Obama's second term. It was often used to house children and families who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.
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