US President Donald Trump believe that Elon Musk’s Starlink could help in restoring internet in Iran.
According to Reuters, Trump on Sunday, January 11, revealed that he is planning to speak to the world’s richest person Musk for providing internet to Iranians amid blackout due to anti-government protests.
When the reporters asked the Republican president if he would engage with Musk’s SpaceX company to provide internet service in Iran, “He's very good at that kind of thing, he's got a very good company.”
The flow of information from Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout since Thursday amid the most expansive protests against the country's clerical establishment since 2022.
Musk and Trump have held an on-again, off-again relationship after the billionaire helped fund Trump's winning presidential campaign and subsequently orchestrated massive cuts to the federal government.
SpaceX owner has not yet responded to the US president comments.
It is worth noting that Musk has supported providing Starlink to Iranians to help them circumvent the government's restrictions, including amid previous protests in 2022.
That year, the Biden White House engaged with Musk to set up Starlink in Iran after the country was engulfed by protests following the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
The Starlink satellite service has been used in other regions marked by unrest or conflict such as Ukraine, where Musk in 2022 ordered a shutdown of Starlink during a pivotal Ukrainian offensive, Reuters reported.
Iran's current protests began on December 28 in response to soaring prices, before turning against the clerical rulers who have governed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
