By Rachael Levy WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he plans to speak with billionaire Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran, where authorities have
Trump Plans Discussion with Musk on Restoring Internet Access in Iran
Trump and Musk's Collaboration on Internet Restoration
By Rachael Levy
Background of the Internet Blackout in Iran
WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he plans to speak with billionaire Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran, where authorities have blacked out services for four days amid ongoing anti-government protests.
Musk's Previous Support for Starlink in Protests
"He's very good at that kind of thing, he's got a very good company," Trump told reporters in response to a question about whether he would engage with Musk's SpaceX company, which offers a satellite internet service called Starlink that has been used in Iran.
Impact of Protests on Iranian Society
Musk and SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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.
The pair had a public falling-out last year as Musk opposed Trump's signature tax bill, but the entrepreneur appears to have rekindled his relationship with the Trump administration. Musk and Trump were seen dining together at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort this month, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is scheduled to visit a SpaceX facility in Texas on Monday.
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.
Hundreds of people have been killed since then, rights groups estimate. U.S.-based organization HRANA said it has verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 people arrested in two weeks of unrest. Iran has not given an official toll and Reuters was unable to independently verify the tolls.
(Reporting by Rachael Levy; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Lincoln Feast)
