TEHRAN   –   “If even one extra person is able to access the internet, I think it’s successful and it’s worth it,” says Sahand. The Iranian man is visibly anxious, speaking to the BBC outside Iran, as he carefully explains how he is part of a clandestine network smuggling satellite internet technology, which is illegal in Iran  into the country. Sahand, whose name we have changed, fears for family members and other contacts inside the country. “If I was identified by the Iranian regime, they might make those I’m in touch with in Iran pay the price,” he says. For more than two months, Iran has been in digital darkness as the government maintains one of the longest-running national internet shutdowns ever recorded worldwide. The current blackout began after the US and Israel launched airstrikes on 28 February. Before that, internet access had been partially restored for just a month following a previous digital shutdown in January, imposed during a deadly regime crackdown on nationwide protests. More than 6,500 protesters were killed and 53,000 arrested, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Officials say the government shut down the internet during the war for security reasons, suggesting the aim is to prevent surveillance, espionage and cyber-attacks. The Starlink devices Sahand sends to Iran are one of the most reliable ways of bypassing the shutdown. The white, flat terminals, paired with routers, provide internet access by connecting to a network of satellites owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, allowing users to completely bypass Iran’s heavily controlled domestic internet. According to Sahand, several people can connect to each terminal at the same time. He says he and others in the network buy them and “smuggle them through the borders” in a “very complex operation”, though he declines to give details. Sahand says he has sent a dozen to Iran since January and “we are actively looking for other ways to smuggle in more”. The human rights organisation Witness estimated in January that there are at least 50,000 Starlink terminals in Iran. Activists say the number is likely to have risen. The BBC contacted SpaceX for more details about the use of Starlink in the country but did not receive a response. Last year, the Iranian government passed legislation that made using, buying or selling Starlink devices punishable by up to two years in prison. The jail term for distributing or importing more than 10 devices can be up to 10 years.

State-affiliated media has reported multiple cases of people being arrested for selling and buying Starlink terminals, including four people – two of them foreign nationals – arrested last month for “importing satellite internet equipment”. It has also reported that some of the arrests include accusations of possessing illegal weapons and sending information to the enemy.