Iranian state television was hacked on Saturday, allowing opposition messages from exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi to be broadcast nationwide amid escalating protests against the Islamic Republic, according to multiple international media reports.
The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post, citing opposition-linked outlet Iran International, reported that Pahlavi’s message aired for several minutes across multiple channels after the broadcast was hijacked via satellite.
His press office later posted nearly six minutes of the transmission on X, while videos of anti-regime protests were also shown in defiance of Iran’s sweeping communications restrictions.
The unprecedented breach comes as Iran grapples with its most severe unrest in years, triggered late last month by protests over a collapsing economy that quickly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations.
Authorities have responded with mass arrests, lethal force and a near-total internet blackout, with thousands reportedly killed, injured or detained, though figures remain uncertain due to the information clampdown.
In a joint letter obtained by TheWrap, acclaimed filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof warned last week of a renewed and dangerous crackdown, noting that authorities had moved to isolate the country by cutting internet access, mobile services and landlines — measures rights groups say often precede the harshest phases of repression.