Iran is considering Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink facilities across the Middle East as possible military targets as it aims to retaliate against President Trump’s newest threats, state-aligned Fars News Agency reported Thursday.
“Iran reserves the right to attack all facilities related to holdings managed by Musk in the region,” the outlet said.
The report comes on the heels of Mr. Trump’s fresh warnings to the Iranian regime, voting to attack Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT.”
He added that the U.S. will aim to seize control of Kharg Island, which handles 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports, along with “other oil infrastructure points.”
Possession and use of satellite-linked internet devices, specifically Starlink, are illegal in Iran. During nationwide internet blackouts, anti-regime protesters have secretly utilized Starlink terminals as a vital communications lifeline.
The regime has criminalized those tools, viewing them as a threat to state security and using the ban to squash anti-ayatollah resistance and enforce internet blackouts.
The U.S. government purchased thousands of SpaceX Starlink terminals to keep dissidents connected during Iran’s blackouts. Most of the terminals were bought in January, diverting funds from internet-freedom programs to supply activists with satellite internet.
Starlink was one of the main pillars of the U.S. military and intelligence network during the 40-day war against Iran, Reuters reported in May.
Mr. Musk called the Reuters report “false” on social media without elaborating. Still, he acknowledged that the civilian Starlink system had been improperly used for military purposes, calling it a violation of his service’s terms of use. In a separate post, he said the drone manufacturer — not the Pentagon — was responsible for the violation.
The U.S. and Iran have traded strikes in recent days, which U.S. Central Command called “self-defense strikes.”
Mr. Trump told Fox News’ foreign correspondent Trey Yingst that Tehran called him Wednesday night, requesting that the president “stop bombing.”
When asked what would happen if Tehran does not sign an agreement put forward by American negotiators, the president said, “We’ll bomb the s—- out of them tomorrow night.”
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