U.S. administrations asked SpaceX to switch Starlink access across Ukraine, Iran and the Middle East

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US asked SpaceX to switch Starlink

Highlights

During Joe Biden's administration, the U.S. requested SpaceX to both disable Starlink in Yemen and Lebanon and activate it in Iran and Ukraine for strategic purposes.
Under Donald Trump, U.S. officials sought expanded Starlink access in Iran after strikes in 2025–2026 to aid anti-government protesters, demonstrating bipartisan reliance on SpaceX for geopolitical influence.
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy and European officials warn that intentional Starlink and Starshield restrictions by SpaceX impair Ukraine's military operations and expose Europe's lack of alternative secure satellite communications.

Government requests shaped Starlink access

As reported by Reuters, the requests to SpaceX span several countries and administrations, highlighting how U.S. officials have used the company's satellite network as a tool to support security and foreign policy goals.

During Joe Biden's presidency, former officials say Washington asked for Starlink to be disabled to stop Iranian proxy militias in Yemen and Lebanon from using the service for communications. The administration also asked for the network to be activated inside Iran and in Ukraine, where it supports military communications and broader internet access.

Under President Donald Trump, officials also sought to expand Starlink access in Iran after U.S.-Israeli strikes in 2025 and 2026, according to a former senior Trump official and a person familiar with the matter. The aim was to strengthen communications for anti-government protesters, adding to evidence that successive administrations have depended on SpaceX in sensitive geopolitical situations.

Ukraine restrictions deepen European concern

The dispute over Ukraine's access to SpaceX satellite services is intensifying concerns about how much strategic communications capacity rests with a private company that is also critical to the U.S. military and its allies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says last week that access to Starshield, the military version of the Starlink system, was intentionally limited, affecting the performance of the country's military drones. He also says Starlink speeds were reduced, even as Ukraine uses the service for military tasks including defense against Russian missile attacks.

European officials are also unsettled by the restrictions, with some arguing the region needs to build its own military satellite communications capability because no viable short-term alternative currently exists. SpaceX does not respond to requests for comment, while Elon Musk says in a social media post earlier this week that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government and that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately by the president.

Our earlier report on rising sovereign borrowing risks amid geopolitical shocks explained that prolonged conflicts and elevated fiscal spending are straining government finances in a high-interest-rate environment, with emerging and frontier markets especially exposed. We noted that wars such as Russia-Ukraine and the Middle East conflict have pushed up energy and food prices, feeding inflation and tightening credit conditions that can worsen countries’ fiscal headroom and refinancing pressure.

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