Hackers target Iran’s state TV to air footage supporting exiled crown prince
Iran’s state TV hacked with ‘do not point your weapons at the people’ message
- Iranian state television satellite transmissions were reportedly disrupted by hackers, who broadcast footage supporting exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and urged security forces not to "point your weapons at the people".
- The cyberattack occurred amid ongoing nationwide protests in Iran, which activists claim have resulted in at least 3,919 deaths due to a brutal crackdown by authorities.
- The hacked broadcast, aired across multiple channels of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, included two clips of Pahlavi and graphics encouraging the military to join the nation for freedom.
- Diplomatic tensions between the United States and Iran remain heightened following the crackdown, with a US aircraft carrier observed moving towards the Middle East.
- This incident marks the latest in a series of disruptions to Iranian airwaves, including a 2022 hack that called for the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.