Starlink terrifies the Islamic Republic, whose officials now warn they may cut electricity to stop it. Mohammad Hafez Hekmati warned that if Starlink becomes widespread, the Communications Ministry and Supreme Council of Cyberspace might as well become “an amusement park.” He also said satellite direct-to-cell service could undermine Iran’s phone-registration system, making it harder for the regime to identify and track users. The Islamic Republic’s answer to dissent has been to tighten control over communication. It blocks platforms, cuts internet access and shuts down networks when it wants to isolate protesters from one another and the outside world. In January, the Islamic Republic imposed an 18-day nationwide internet shutdown. A second lasted 88 days, from 28 February to 26 May, making it the longest shutdown of its kind in a connected society. Now Hekmati is warning that the next step could be cutting electricity. That is how far the regime’s logic has gone: if satellite connections bypass its networks, it may try to silence people by switching off the power. Starlink is not yet available to every Iranian. The regime can jam signals, raid homes and confiscate terminals. But satellite internet threatens the foundation of its censorship system because it can operate beyond the state-controlled networks used to filter, monitor and shut down communication. At the United Nations, Benjamin Netanyahu held up a Starlink terminal as a symbol of the regime’s fear of uncensored communication. An Iranian diplomat refused to accept it. Hekmati’s remarks make the point more plainly: the Islamic Republic knows that every connection it cannot control weakens its grip on the story, and potentially on the street. When a government begins discussing power cuts to stop people from communicating, it is admitting that its internet kill switch may no longer be enough.