Trump says he will talk to Musk about restoring internet in Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he plans to speak with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran, where authorities blacked out service amid ongoing anti-government protests.

Rachael Levy/Reuters

12 January 2026 at 01:42:04

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a meeting with an oil industry executives, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 9, 2026.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he plans to speak with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran, where authorities blacked out service amid ongoing anti-government protests.

"He's very good at that kind of thing, he's got a very good company," Trump told reporters in response to a question about whether he would engage with Musk's SpaceX company, which offers a satellite internet service called Starlink that has been used in Iran.

Musk and Trump have held an on-again, off-again relationship after the billionaire helped fund Trump's winning presidential campaign and subsequently orchestrated massive cuts to the federal government.

The pair had a public falling-out last year as Musk opposed Trump's signature tax bill, but the two men appear to have rekindled their relationship, eating dinner together at Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort this month.

Musk and SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

-Rachael Levy; Editing by Himani Sarkar/Reuters