Iranian security forces have detained four people in Jolfa, in the country’s northwest, and accused them of smuggling Starlink satellite internet equipment and cooperating with American and Israeli intelligence networks. Two of the four are foreign nationals. Their countries have not been named.
Jolfa’s public prosecutor said the suspects brought Starlink terminals and related communication devices across the border, in breach of Iranian telecommunications rules. Tasnim, a semi-official news agency, reported that authorities see the case as part of a wider effort to keep unauthorized communications infrastructure out of the country.
A statement from the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s office, as reported by Roya News, gave more detail on the accusations. One suspect, a local resident, is accused of passing sensitive information to what officials called hostile satellite-linked networks. Another is accused of intelligence-related activity and of using unauthorized international internet platforms to avoid domestic monitoring. The two foreigners are charged with bringing in the Starlink equipment, which officials claim supported covert communications and intelligence gathering.
The prosecutor said the network had been “completely dismantled.” Officials said local security services found the group through surveillance and intelligence monitoring.
No details were given on what intelligence was supposedly passed on, or over what period.
Blackout and war
The arrests came during a government-imposed internet blackout that has covered large parts of the population for several weeks. Yeni Safak reported that it is tied to the military confrontation between Iran and the United States and Israel, which it said has killed more than 3,300 people since late February. Hundreds of Iranians have been arrested in recent weeks on accusations of collaborating with enemy states, the same report said.
Prosecutors argue that the equipment served purposes beyond ordinary smuggling. Tehran regards technology that can get around state-controlled internet infrastructure as a threat to national security. Under Iranian law on relations with foreign intelligence services, the suspects could face severe penalties.
Jolfa lies in East Azerbaijan province, near the borders with Azerbaijan and Armenia, and serves as a checkpoint for cross-border trade.
Sources
- Iran arrests four for Starlink smuggling amid espionage claims
- Iran arrests four over alleged US and ‘Israeli’ intelligence cooperation
