As Iranian regime shuts down internet, protesters connect to Starlink

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Footage provided by NASNET Connet, a rebel tech group, shows a Starlink device on an unknown location in Iran. Just after 8 p.m. Thursday Jan 8, 2026, Iran’s regime pulled the plug of the internet and disconnected the Islamic Republic’s 85 million people from the rest of the world. It appears that the majority of information coming out of Iran since Thursday night is being transmitted via Starlink, which is now illegal. That carries dangers for those possessing the devices. Not using it, however, means the world knows even less about what’s happening inside Iran at a pivotal moment. NASNET Connect who provides this footage is a community-driven, open-source project specifically developed by and for the Iranian Starlink community. "Over the past two years, we at NasNet, with the companionship and courage of you freedom-loving people of Iran and despite all the risks, have stood together and managed to break through the regime's firewall and iron curtain with Starlink," NASNET Connect says.