From Ukraine to Iran: The White House's unusual requests from Elon Musk

Reuters reports that the Biden and Trump administrations asked Elon Musk to activate or deactivate Starlink in Ukraine, Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon, based on six former senior U.S. officials. The report comes amid restrictions on the Ukrainian military's access to Starshield.

The Reuters news agency reported that former U.S. administrations led by Joe Biden and current President Donald Trump asked Elon Musk to activate or deactivate the Starlink satellite internet service in various countries, including Ukraine, Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon. The report is based on six former senior U.S. officials familiar with the matter. During the Biden administration, Washington asked SpaceX to block the service to prevent Iran-aligned militias in Yemen and Lebanon from using it, while simultaneously working to activate the service in Iran to enable internet access. The Trump administration also asked Musk to activate the service in Iran following the U.S.-Israeli strikes in 2025 and 2026, hoping to assist protesters against the regime. The report comes amid restrictions on the Ukrainian military's access to the Starshield system, the military version of Starlink. Ukrainian President Zelensky said the restriction hampered drone operations. Trump said he had not spoken with Musk about the issue.