US Administrations Asked Musk to Control Starlink in Multiple Nations

US administrations under former President Joe Biden and incumbent President Donald Trump repeatedly asked Elon Musk to activate or disable the Starlink satellite internet service in various countries, including Ukraine, Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon. Reuters reported this on Saturday, citing six former US officials familiar with the matter.

According to the report, during the Biden administration, Washington asked SpaceX, Musk's company, to block the service to prevent Iran-backed militias in Yemen and Lebanon from using it for communications. Simultaneously, the administration worked to activate the service in Iran to provide internet access, as well as to expand its use by the Ukrainian military.

Similarly, the Trump administration asked Musk to activate the service in Iran following US-Israeli strikes in 2025 and 2026, hoping it would help anti-regime protesters maintain internet access and communicate.

The report comes amid restricted access by the Ukrainian military to Starshield, the military version of Starlink. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that the restriction hampered his country's drone operations. The Trump administration confirmed that the service had slowed down, but did not specify whether it ordered the limitation.

According to former officials, Biden administration officials shared intelligence with the company indicating that the Houthis and Hezbollah had acquired Starlink terminals through intermediaries. Consequently, Washington asked the company to identify and disconnect the terminals, and according to two sources, at least some of them were deactivated.