In the sky over Iran, Elon Musk and Starlink step into geopolitics – not for the first time

By Joscha Abels, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Institute of Political Science, University of Tübingen

It was the briefest of messages, but the potential consequences could have been significant. Elon Musk posted a four-word tweet on June 14: “The beams are on”. The message prefigured a consequential intervention – not only in Iranian domestic affairs but potentially in the geopolitics of the Middle East. The US billionaire was responding to a request on his online platform X, asking him to activate the Starlink satellite system over Iran in support of anti-government protests.

Following Israel’s…

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