The US Treasury on Tuesday welcomed the request of SpaceX founder Elon Musk for an exemption from sanctions imposed on Iran to allow the Internet to be deployed around the world as part of the “Starlink” project, according to the newspaper.Washington Post“.
According to a ministry spokesman for the newspaper, who declined to be identified because the US Treasury has not yet received a formal application, the ministry’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) welcomes applications for licenses that would allow activities that promote Internet freedom in Iran.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has confirmed that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) will determine Starlink’s next steps.
“We have, of course, in the past provided various forms of exemptions in order to support the Iranian people’s ability to communicate with each other and with the world,” he added in a press briefing on Tuesday.
Archyde.com quoted a US Treasury spokesman as saying that the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has a long-term license that “authorizes the export to Iran of certain hardware, software, and services related to Internet communications, including certain Internet connectivity services and consumer satellite terminals… under the General D-License.” 1″
On Monday, Musk said his company, Starlink, would request an exemption from sanctions once morest Iran.
Musk’s tweet did not provide more details regarding his plans, but it came at a time when Iran is witnessing widespread protests over the death of a girl in police custody, and the Treasury has not specified whether the license will apply to Musk’s plans.
Some people on Twitter asked Musk to provide satellite Internet service stations. Access to social media and some content is severely restricted in Iran.
SpaceX aims to rapidly expand the Starlink network, a project to provide the Internet around the world for free, and Musk competes with other satellite communications companies, including OneWeb.
