The head of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is interrupted during a House subcommittee hearing after boasting about NED’s deployment of Starlink terminals in Iran, a report says.

Snip:

The US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) deployed around 200 Starlink devices in Iran during recent riots, NED president Damon Wilson has revealed at a congressional hearing, before representatives cut him off, saying the topic shouldn’t be discussed.

Wilson said Tuesday NED “began supporting the deployment [and] operation of about 200 Starlinks early on” amid the riots, but Representative Lois Frankel interrupted him, saying, “You know what, I am going to interrupt you, we better not talk about it.”

[…]

The NED president further detailed collaborations with NGOs and media networks, saying the organization had amplified stories blaming the Iranian government for mismanaging resources like water in Tehran.

The protests that erupted in early January 2026 were initially peaceful over economic grievances, including currency devaluation, but escalated into violent riots when foreign-backed actors intervened.