Iranian security forces are conducting house-to-house searches to confiscate satellite dishes and Starlink internet equipment, according to opposition sources and messages circulating on social media on January 12, according to one expatriate-based account tracking satellite internet activity in Iran.

Iranians have relied on the low-key internet connections over the past two weeks to leak out videos, messages and information, as more than 500 people have been reportedly killed, according to human rights groups monitoring the situation. Other figures put the death toll from protests against the government at more than 4,000, but these could not be independently verified. 

Messages in Persian warned users that the disruption of Starlink connections has become more severe and widespread than in previous days. "Dear Iliya, this is probably my last message to you. Remember each house, each satellite dish view and Starlink. Like the 1990s," one message said.

Iran has had a long history of targeting those with traditional satellite dishes throughout the 1990s, according to bne IntelliNews on the ground in Tehran over the past decade. However, in more recent years, the internet has become the battleground between the regime in Tehran and those wanting to view content from abroad. The situation has completely changed in recent years, however, with smuggled Starlink internet modems and dishes being brought into the country via Iraq and the Persian Gulf countries. 

Ilya Hashemi, who tracks the situation, said security services are "raiding homes and confiscating satellite and Starlink equipment, deepening a deliberate digital blackout to hide mass killings."

Opposition channels warned Iranians using Starlink to hide their devices carefully, stating that military forces are actively searching for the equipment. "Protecting this information transmission channel is more important now than at any other time," one message said.

Hashemi reported on January 10 that simultaneous access to 80% of contacts using Starlink had been cut off, suggesting authorities are using tools to disrupt radio waves and GPS alongside internet cuts.

Starlink, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, provides internet access via satellite, bypassing ground-based infrastructure that governments can more easily control. The service has become a tool for protesters in countries with heavy internet restrictions. There has been ongoing previous negotiations to allow the service in the country, but talks ended in failure earlier in 2024. 

Iran has maintained a near-total internet blackout since January 8, cutting off international communications and mobile-to-mobile text messaging. Phone calls were also blocked at night on January 9 and 10.

The communications shutdown came after protests that began on December 29 intensified following Pahlavi's calls for coordinated nationwide demonstrations on January 8. Human rights organisations have documented at least 116 deaths through January 10, though US and Israeli officials suggest the actual toll is significantly higher.

There is reportedly more than 30,000 Starlinks active in Iran, since 2025, according to a previous article by bne IntelliNews, which monitors the internet situation in the country. 

Regular internet connections appear to be entirely disconnect, bar a few government connected websites, and news agencies including Mehr and Tasnim, according to the latest investigations from abroad.