Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is in talks with the White House to provide satellite broadband internet service via Starlink in Iran, says a report by CNN.
The Biden administration is looking for ways to support the masses in Iran who have taken to the streets to protest against the government, ever since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Amini was found dead in mysterious circumstances with the Iranian public blaming the country’s morality police for killing her in custody.
“We have our foot on the gas to do everything we possibly can to support the aspirations of the Iranian people. That is our policy, period. At the same time, it is truly an Iranian movement led by young girls and spreading to other aspects of society. And we do not want to in any way eclipse their movement,” a senior administrator was quoted as saying by the publication.
“We are interested in finding ways to ensure that the Iranian people can have access to the internet on their phones and everywhere else. And so Starlink is one option, but it is not the only option,” added the official.
However, other senior officials were apprehensive about having Musk on board for another major theater after Ukraine.
“He’s a loose cannon we can never predict,” said a senior US defence official.
Read more: Elon Musk withdraws proposal to Pentagon seeking funds for Starlink
As reported by WION, the US treasury department last month relaxed the internet rules in Iran despite the US still having a plethora of sanctions imposed on it.
“As courageous Iranians take to the streets to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, the United States is redoubling its support for the free flow of information to the Iranian people,” said deputy treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo.
“With these changes, we are helping the Iranian people be better equipped to counter the government’s efforts to surveil and censor them,” he added.
Internet access is often curbed in Iran to stop protesters from posting videos on social media.
In 2019, the government shut down the internet for about a week to stifle fuel protests which turned political, sparking the bloodiest crackdown in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic.
Musk and Starlink
Moreover, the talks between Musk and the Biden administration come a few days after the Starlink boss demanded that the Pentagon fund his company for providing satellite broadband service in the war-ravaged country of Ukraine.
WATCH | Elon Musk: SpaceX will keep funding Starlink internet service in Ukraine
However, before Pentagon could release a statement, Musk informed on Twitter that he had withdrawn the request.
“SpaceX has already withdrawn its request for funding,” tweeted Musk.
SpaceX has already withdrawn its request for funding
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 17, 2022
Not too long ago, Musk said that SpaceX, the company which operates Starlink could not fund the internet network in Ukraine indefinitely.
“SpaceX is not asking to recoup past expenses, but also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely *and* send several thousand more terminals that have data usage up to 100X greater than typical households. This is unreasonable,” Musk tweeted.
Read more: Musk says ‘unreasonable’ to expect Starlink to fund services in Ukraine indefinitely
(With inputs from agencies)
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