'Don’t point your weapons at people': Iran State TV hacked to broadcast exiled crown prince’s message

Amid ongoing unrest in Iran, hackers disrupted the country’s state television satellite broadcasts to air footage supporting exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and calling on security forces not to ‘point your weapons at the people,’ as shown in online videos that surfaced early Monday.

The breach highlighted growing pressure on Iran’s leadership as nationwide protests continue and the reported death toll from the government’s crackdown rises into the thousands.


The hacked footage aired Sunday night across multiple satellite channels operated by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the state broadcaster that holds a monopoly over television and radio in Iran.

The broadcast showed two clips of Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, followed by images of men appearing to be members of Iran’s security forces.

On-screen messages claimed, without providing evidence, that some security personnel had “laid down their weapons and sworn allegiance to the people.”

“This is a message to the army and security forces,” one graphic read. “Don’t point your weapons at the people. Join the nation for the freedom of Iran.” In the broadcast, Pahlavi directly addressed the military, saying, “You are the national army of Iran, not the Islamic Republic’s army. You have a duty to protect your own lives. Join the people as soon as possible.”

Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency, which is believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, acknowledged that satellite signals were briefly disrupted in “some areas” of the country by an unknown source, but did not disclose what content was aired.

A statement from Pahlavi’s office confirmed that footage of the crown prince appeared during the disruption, but offered no further comment.

The hack comes as Iranian authorities intensify a crackdown on protests that began in late December over the country’s worsening economic conditions and have since evolved into wider anti-government demonstrations.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 3,919 people have been killed, warning the figure is likely to increase as information emerges from Iran, where the government has sharply restricted internet access.

Iranian officials have not released an official death toll, though Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has acknowledged that “several thousand” people were killed, blaming the unrest on the United States.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high. President Donald Trump has warned Iran against killing peaceful protesters or carrying out mass executions, while US ship-tracking data shows the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and accompanying destroyers moving toward a route that could bring them to the Middle East, adding to regional unease.