According to a report by Iran's Fars news agency, Tehran may target companies in the region that partner with Elon Musk's SpaceX, which operates the Starlink satellite internet service. The report says SpaceX's broad involvement in military activities against Iran has led Iranian authorities to consider its interests and partners as potential military targets, aiming to remove the threat of future attacks carried out via SpaceX infrastructure.
A Wednesday evening report from Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency escalates a threat that had been building through the day: companies in the Middle East that partner with Elon Musk's SpaceX — operator of the Starlink satellite internet network — are now being considered as potential Iranian military targets. The report, citing unnamed Iranian armed forces sources, says the companies 'may be seen as possible targets, with the aim of removing the threat of future attacks carried out using SpaceX infrastructure,' and justifies the move by pointing to SpaceX's 'extensive involvement in military activity against Iran.'
The threat is the third in a sequence of statements issued by Tehran on Wednesday. At 17:32 Jerusalem time, The Zioneer reported that Iranian media, led by Fars, had expanded the regional target list to include 'any economic interest related to businesses run by Elon Musk in West Asia.' A second report, also at 17:32 Jerusalem time, narrowed that to all Musk-owned companies, specifically naming SpaceX's Starlink network as a legitimate military target. By the third report, senior IRGC sources had told Iranian media that economic interests and infrastructure linked to Musk in the Middle East — including in Arab states and Israel — had been formally added to Iran's new military target bank. The Fars report at 21:31 Jerusalem time appears to operationalize that bank by naming the companies and infrastructure as under review and describing the military logic behind targeting them. The source of each report has remained Iranian state-affiliated media throughout; no independent confirmation from Western or regional governments has emerged.
The threat comes amid a wider escalation of Iranian rhetoric. As The Zioneer has previously reported, an Iran-aligned outlet has warned that U.S. strikes on Iranian infrastructure could spill over to affect the entire region, including what it termed 'the Zionist territories.' Separately, an Iranian intelligence source has reiterated that Tehran would consider any state enabling military action against Iran a legitimate target. These statements have not been accompanied by verified military movements or operational changes.
The Fars report does not specify which specific companies or facilities are under consideration, and it remains unclear whether Iran possesses the capability to strike SpaceX-linked assets across the region. No independent confirmation or military response has been reported.
5 developments
- StrongIran claims to have struck US-linked targets, warns Gulf states against aiding attacks
- DevelopingIndia freezes Starlink approval over Iran war concerns, Bloomberg reports
- DevelopingIran claims downing of US fighter jet, Fars News Agency reports
- StrongFox News publishes list of infrastructure targets in Iran, including power plants and nuclear sites
Source and signal
- Open-source intake