Iran has experienced an all-fronted upheaval in the last 24 hours: Elon Musk enabled Starlink as Tehran imposed an internet near blackout, a pro-Israel cyber-hacker group hacked Nobitex, the largest crypto exchange in Iran, state television networks were hacked and paralyzed, and other cyber and military activity have shaken the country. The explosive developments are explained below in detail.
/*Starlink Activation bypasses the blackout in Tehran*/
After the Communications Ministry of Iran announced on June 14, 2025, that "temporary restrictions have been imposed on the country's internet" in response to escalating tensions with Israel, the monitoring group NetBlocks reported a "near-total national internet blackout" by June 16, 2025. The internet blackout in Iran has impacted a significant portion of the population, cutting them off from global connectivity. This disruption has been in effect since Tuesday around 5:30 p.m. local time, with significant implications for citizens and businesses.
Elon Musk acted immediately, confirming the activation of Starlink in Iran and announcing "The beams are on" via X. Starlink satellite internet connections are now available in Iran, bypassing traditional infrastructure. An estimated 20,000 Starlink terminals are reportedly operating in Iran through black market channels, according to industry analysts.
/*Pro‑Israeli Hackers Siphon 90M Off Nobitex*/
In the hacking alliance, a team that calls itself Predatory Sparrow ( Gonjeshke Darande ), suspected of working with pro-Israel networks, stole over $90 million in Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Dogecoin through Nobitex, the leading Iranian exchange. Blockchain trackers state that the money was sent to "burn wallets" containing messages criticizing the IRGC in Iran. Nobitex acknowledged that it suffered unauthorized access, and it is currently offline. Following the hack, Iran's central bank ordered domestic crypto exchanges to restrict operating hours to between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to enhance security.
/*State TV Hacked As Media Remains Quiet About It*/
Iran's national broadcaster IRIB was hit by a huge cyber intrusion last night. Broadcasting has been interrupted, and some systems have been disabled. The details were not clear, but the Tehran officials reported malicious interference in the so-called propaganda infrastructure. The hackers likely exploited vulnerabilities in IRIB's satellite broadcasting system, allowing them to interrupt the signal and air their own footage. The hack briefly disrupted IRIB's broadcast, airing footage of women's protests and urging people to take to the streets, including images from the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests, showing women tearing off their hijabs and cutting their hair in defiance.
Sahar Emami, who had hitherto been in an Israeli attack, was off-air as technical gurus fumbled to bring back controlled messaging.
The very same organization had attacked a state-owned bank Sepah just days back, purging vital information in the cyber response to the Israeli attacks on the Iranian nuclear sites. However, it's worth noting that this incident might be part of a larger pattern of cyberattacks in Iran linked to Israeli actors, including the "Predatory Sparrow" group's attack on Sepah Bank's ATMs and Iranian fuel infrastructure. While Israel hasn't officially claimed responsibility for the IRIB hack, Jonathan Harounoff, Israeli UN spokesperson, shared a video of a similar hack on social media. Iran blames Israel for the hack, with the Iranian government later warning viewers that the disruption was due to "cyberattacks carried out by the Zionist enemy".
/*Communications Blackout*/
No actual loss of lives has been reported so far in the cyber activities. But the blackout on the internet affected 90 million people, the services could not be available to them in an emergency, and this is reported by ISNA and AP, and might be a matter of concern to the aid and business. The State TV and the financial system have been partially off the grid, increasing the state of worry among people.