Starlink against international law? Iran and Russia turn to the United Nations
For different reasons, Starlink is a major problem for Moscow and Tehran. Help is now expected to come from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
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Russia and Iran have criticized Starlink at the United Nations, stating that the satellite internet of the US company SpaceX blurs the line between commercial and military technology. This violates international law, according to statements submitted to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. The Islamic Republic states that the illegal operation of Starlink antennas in the country violates its sovereignty and should be classified as “unauthorized military use of civilian technology.” Russia, in turn, has stated that constellations like Starlink violate the Outer Space Treaty because they are built without regard for the interests of all spacefaring nations.
Different interests, same goal
In recent months, it has become clear that claims by “certain private companies and their governments” about the allegedly peaceful use of satellite constellations are misleading, according to the UN representation of Iran. The unauthorized military use endangers the national security of all states. Russia argues similarly and states that their “de facto uncontrolled” deployment violates international law. The veto power at the United Nations therefore calls, among other things, for a fixed upper limit on the number of satellites in such constellations and international control over the deployment of mega-constellations. A resolution has been submitted to the UN General Assembly for this purpose.
The criticism of Starlink from the two states is likely to stem from similar, though not identical, reasons. In Iran, the technology has recently come into focus because it was the only connection to the outside world during the weeks-long total internet blackout following an alleged massacre of protesters. Although Starlink is banned in the Islamic Republic, tens of thousands of antennas are reportedly in secret use. Russia, on the other hand, has increasingly relied on satellite internet in the Ukraine war, including for remote control of drones. After criticism from Ukraine, SpaceX put a stop to this, and the consequences are likely dramatic for the Russian military.
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SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, has been building Starlink since 2019. Almost 10,000 satellites in low Earth orbit enable fast internet connections on all continents – independent of the local network infrastructure. While the technology is allegedly intended to bring other poorly connected regions online, the events in Russia and Iran highlight Starlink's potential for other uses. In Ukraine, Starlink has become an essential basis for the defense campaign; in Iran, which has been cut off from the internet, it has at least allowed information to trickle out. Russia and the Islamic Republic have only extremely limited control over this. The United Nations is now expected to help.
(mho)
