Iran announces limited ban on smartphones and laptops, fearing Israel's digital tracking

Time of India

15 hours ago

Iran has banned government officials and their bodyguards from using all communication devices linked to the networks. The ban, announced Tuesday, includes mobile phones, smart watches and laptops.
Iran did not elaborate on the reason for the ban, which was reported by the semiofficial Fars news agency. However, it suggests Iran suspects Israel used digital signatures from electronics to launch its strikes, which have decimated Iran's military leadership.
Life is 'dire' in Tehran, laments Afghan shopkeeper stuck in Iranian capital
Sirens blare every few hours in Tehran and people rush for shelter amid ongoing Israeli attacks, says an Afghan shopkeeper in Tehran. Life has never been so "dire" here, he says.
The man, originally from Kabul, has lived in the Iranian capital for the past four years. Now he says he has no means of getting out of the city and is stuck in the apartment he rents. He spoke to The Associated Press over the phone, declining to give his name for fear of reprisals from authorities who maintain that it's business as normal.
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But markets, stores and commercial areas are closed - and food is becoming scare, he says. "For two days now, food has been hard to find, especially bread."
"The police don't even allow us to go outside or leave the city. Everyone is forbidden from taking photos or videos," he said. "I am in a war zone."
The UN watchdog now says Israeli strikes had direct impacts' on Iran's Natanz enrichment site
The International Atomic Energy Agency says it now believes Israeli airstrikes on Iran's Natanz enrichment site had "direct impacts" on the facility's underground centrifuge halls. It did not elaborate.
It's the first time the UN nuclear watchdog has assessed damage from the strikes in the underground parts of Natanz, which is the main enrichment facility of Iran's programme.
Earlier, it was clear that Natanz's above-ground enrichment hall had been destroyed, as well as electrical equipment that powered the facility.
Iran has not discussed the damage done in depth at Natanz as the country is reeling from the ongoing Israeli strikes that are dismantling its air defence and killing its top military commanders.
After being stranded in Saudi Arabia, Iranian pilgrims take long land route home
Dozens of Iranian pilgrims were in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage when they got stranded by the ongoing Israeli-Iranian conflict that has left much of the Mideast's airspace closed and reduced traffic at dozens of airports.
Since they couldn't take the flight back to Iran, some 100 pilgrims travelled first by bus to neighbouring Iraq, where they are now waiting in the southern city of Karbala to cross the border to Iran.
"This war came in and it was not in our hands" said Aziz Mohammed Khan, one of the Iranian pilgrims. "They told us that we will stay and take a rest here for about two hours, then after the two hours we will be sent back to Mehran border crossing in Iran."
The pilgrims sat at a waiting hall where the buses were parked. Some sat on the benches, while others sat on the ground in the shade to avoid the sweltering summer heat.
Iran's Nobel Peace Prize laureate on leave from prison in Tehran indicates she's left the city
Narges Mohammadi, who has been on an extended leave from Evin Prison in the Iranian capital, has signalled she's fled Tehran amid the Israeli strikes.
Mohammadi wrote on X: "I left home." She said she hoped to return one day.
"I know millions of our fellow citizens are leaving their homes to escape war - fleeing death, fear, and destruction - and because there is no shelter left in their cities, they seek refuge in others," she wrote. "Let's be each other's refuge."
She did not say where she was or where she was going.
Mohammadi, who has kept up her activism despite numerous arrests and spending years behind bars, had been serving 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against Iran's government.
Kremlin says all Russians in Tehran who want to leave will be evacuated
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the Russian embassy in Tehran is working "around the clock" to make sure all Russian nationals could evacuate from Iran though a checkpoint on the border with Azerbaijan.
He said Moscow was "very grateful" to Azerbaijan for assistance on the border. "This work continues around the clock."
Peskov deplored that the situation in the Middle East was "still on the path of further escalation, galloping escalation."
Asked if there's been any response to Moscow's proposal to mediate the conflict, Peskov said: "At the moment, we see a reluctance, at least on the part of Israel, to turn to any kind of mediation services."
As Tehran empties out, a cyberattack targets one of its banks
Bank Sepah, the first bank established in Iran, saw its online services disrupted in an apparent cyberattack. The semiofficial Fars news agency said that will likely cause a disruption at some gasoline stations.
The hackers identified themselves as "Gonjeshke Darande," or "Predatory Sparrow." The group has claimed hacking a major steel mill in 2022 and disrupting gas stations in 2023.
Iran, long sanctioned by the West, has difficulties in getting up-to-date hardware and software, often relying on Chinese-manufactured electronics or older systems no longer being patched by manufacturers. Pirated versions of Windows and other software are common across Iran.
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