A dramatic moment unfolded on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly in New York when Israel’s Ambassador, Danny Danon, directly approached a member of the Iranian delegation with a Starlink satellite terminal in hand.
The gesture came immediately after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the assembly. During his speech, Netanyahu held up the same Starlink device, describing it as a tool that would allow ordinary Iranians to bypass state censorship and access the truth. He said he would leave it at the UN for any Iranian diplomat willing to defect.
Danon then took the device to the Iranian representative, identified as Nasser Asadi. In video footage that has now gone viral, Danon is heard saying the terminal could be very useful in helping the Iranian people gain their freedom after what the regime had done to them, and urging him to take it back to Tehran.
The Iranian diplomat refused to engage. He turned away without responding and declined to accept the device. Danon later posted the clip on his official X account, writing: “The Iranian representative didn’t want the Starlink.”
The exchange highlights the deep tensions between the two countries and the ongoing battle over internet freedom in Iran. The Iranian government imposed a near-total internet blackout in January 2026 during nationwide protests, a move widely seen as an attempt to conceal its crackdown. While owning a Starlink terminal is illegal in Iran and can carry a prison sentence, tens of thousands of Iranians are believed to be using them secretly to stay connected.
Starlink Standoff at the UN: Israeli Envoy Offers Iran Free Internet Access
