Shea Levin — text status

The Biden and Trump administrations repeatedly asked Elon Musk’s SpaceX to activate or disable Starlink service in various countries to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives, six former senior U.S. officials told Reuters. Under Biden, the U.S. sought to disable Starlink terminals used by Hezbollah and the Houthis while expanding access for Ukraine’s military and Iranian protesters. The Trump administration also sought to activate Starlink in Iran following U.S.-Israeli strikes in 2025 and 2026.