21 Sep 2022; MEMO: SpaceX will apply for an exemption from US sanctions imposed on Iran, in an effort to provide satellite internet service in Iran, AFP reported Elon Musk saying.
"Starlink will ask for an exemption to Iranian sanctions in this regard," Musk said in response to a tweet from a science reporter.
Starlink plans to launch 42,000 satellites and provide a global internet service.
Iran is currently witnessing protests following the death in custody of a woman who was detained by the morality police.
Mahsa Amini, 22, died on Friday after falling into a coma following her arrest in Tehran earlier in the week, putting a spotlight on women's rights in Iran.
Earlier today, Iranian Minister of Communications Issa Zarepour was quoted as saying that access to the internet in the Islamic Republic may be disrupted for "security reasons".
Critics fear this is an attempt from the government to stop reports of abuses and deaths at the hands of the authorities being disseminated on social media and reaching a world stage.
