Iran Urges Citizens to Avoid WhatsApp and Telegram: “Used by Israel to Target Individuals”

Regime warns that mobile apps help locate assassination targets and advises people to turn off phones

The Iranian regime has called on its citizens to stop using WhatsApp, Telegram, and other location-based applications, claiming these platforms are being used by Israel to identify and strike individuals amid a conflict now entering its sixth day. The warning, reported by Iran’s state media agency IRIB, cites “recent targeted assassinations, including of scientists,” and alleges that “the Israeli regime uses cellphones to track and hit targets inside Iran.”

Beyond avoiding messaging apps, the government also urged citizens to turn off their phones before moving around and to avoid carrying them into “sensitive locations,” according to additional reporting by CNN.

WhatsApp has expressed concern over the move by Tehran. “We’re worried that these false claims could be used as a pretext to block our services — right when people need them the most,” said a company spokesperson.

The messaging service emphasized it does not track users’ precise location and that all communications are protected by end-to-end encryption. “All messages sent on WhatsApp — to family, friends, anyone — are encrypted end-to-end. Only the sender and the recipient can read them, not even WhatsApp,” the spokesperson added. “We don’t track precise locations, we don’t store message logs, and we don’t monitor personal conversations. We also don’t provide bulk data to any government. For over a decade, Meta has consistently published transparency reports showing the limited cases in which data was requested.”

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