DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Video online early Monday showed hackers disrupting Iranian state television’s satellite transmissions, showing support for the country’s exiled crown prince and calling on security forces not to “point weapons at the people,” the latest disruption in the wake of nationwide protests in the country.
Activists said the hacking attack came as authorities cracked down on demonstrations that left at least 3,919 people dead. They fear that number will get even higher as information leaks from a country still reeling from the government’s decision to shut down the internet.
Meanwhile, repressive relations between the United States and Iran remain high after President Donald Trump drew two red lines for the Islamic republic – the killing of peaceful protesters and Tehran’s mass executions following demonstrations. A U.S. aircraft carrier that was in the South China Sea a few days ago passed Singapore overnight and entered the Strait of Malacca, putting it on a route to the Middle East.
National TV blackout
The video was broadcast Sunday night on multiple satellite channels of the Islamic Republic Broadcasting Corporation of Iran, the country’s state broadcaster with a monopoly on television and radio broadcasts. The video shows two clips of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, then includes footage of security forces and others wearing Iranian police uniforms. It claimed without providing evidence that others “lay down their arms and swore allegiance to the people.”
“This is a message to the military and security forces,” one image read. “Don’t point weapons at the people. Join this country for the freedom of Iran.”
The semi-official Fars news agency, believed to be close to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards, cited a statement from the state broadcaster acknowledging that “signals in some areas of the country have been temporarily disrupted by unknown sources.” It does not discuss what has been aired.
A statement from Pahlavi’s office acknowledged the disruption to the crown prince. It did not respond to questions from The Associated Press about the hack.
“I have a special message for the military. You are the army of the state of Iran, not the army of the Islamic Republic,” Pahlavi said in the hacked broadcast. “You have a responsibility to protect your life. You don’t have much time left. Join the people as soon as possible.”
Social media videos shared abroad, possibly from those installing Starlink satellites to bypass internet shutdowns, show that hacking is taking place through multiple channels. Pahlavi’s campaign also shared the video.
Sunday’s hack was not the first time Iran’s airwaves have been disrupted. In 1986, the Washington Post reported that the CIA provided the prince’s allies with Pahlavi’s “small television transmitter for his 11-minute secret broadcast” to Iran, stealing the signals from two of the Islamic Republic’s television stations.
In 2022, multiple channels aired videos of the exiled leader of the opposition group Mujahedin, as well as images calling for the execution of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Pahlavi’s father, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. On January 8, as Iranian authorities shut down the Internet and sharply stepped up their crackdown, Pahlavi’s son urged protesters to take to the streets.
Despite calls for the Shah at the demonstrations, how much support Pahlavi has within Iran remains an open question.
US aircraft carrier may head to Middle East
As tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high, ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press on Monday showed the USS Abraham Lincoln and other U.S. warships entered the Strait of Malacca after passing through Singapore, a route that could take them to the Middle East.
The Lincoln and its strike group have been in the South China Sea as a deterrent amid tensions between China and Taiwan. The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Frank E. Peterson Jr., USS Michael Murphy and USS Spruance all traveled with the Lincoln through the channel, tracking data shows.
Multiple U.S. media reports quoted anonymous officials as saying that the Lincoln, which is homeported in San Diego, was en route to the Middle East. Its aircraft may still need several days of flying to get within range of the region. There has been no aircraft carrier strike group or amphibious strike group in the Middle East, which could complicate discussions of military action against Iran given widespread opposition among Gulf Arab states to such action.
Death toll from crackdown rises
The death toll exceeds that of any round of protests or riots in Iran in decades, recalling the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists news agency on Sunday put the death toll at at least 3,919 and warned it could be higher.
The agency has been spot-on throughout years of demonstrations and unrest in Iran, relying on a network of activists within the country to confirm all reported deaths. The Associated Press could not independently confirm the tolls.
Iranian officials have not released a clear death toll, but Khamenei said on Saturday that protests had killed “thousands” and blamed the deaths on the United States. This is the first time that Iran’s leaders have indicated the extent of casualties caused by the wave of protests triggered by Iran’s economic downturn on December 28.
___
Associated Press writer Elena Bekatoros contributed to this report.
