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Iranian state TV networks hacked? Trump, Netanyahu's ‘seize control’ message suddenly appears
Several social media commentators on Sunday reported that Iran's state TV networks were ‘hacked’
Several social media commentators on Sunday reported that Iran's state TV networks were ‘hacked’, with President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu appearing in between regular broadcasts. Iranian authorities have yet to confirm the details, despite videos of the broadcast surfacing.
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Messaging to “seize control”
The videos surfacing online of footage or messaging from the two leaders urged Iranian audiences to “seize control” in the face of conflict.
In a video shared on X, footage of Trump addressing Iranians in one of his speeches is being broadcast on an Iranian television with Arabic subtitles.
In the footage, Trump is saying, “America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future…This is the moment for action.”
Another footage shows Netanyahu addressing in what appears to be Arabic amid a broadcast on Iranian channels.
Read more: ‘Catastrophe', 'dangerous': World leaders react as Israel, US strike Iran
Iranian apps and websites hacked
Reuters reported a broader wave of cyber activity targeting Iranian digital infrastructure following joint military strikes, including hacks of government websites and popular apps like the BadeSaba Calendar prayer app, which reportedly sent out messages urging military defection and civil resistance.
In an effort to prevent a coordinated Iranian response, cyber operations also targeted other Iranian military sites and government agencies, the Jerusalem Post said on Saturday.
Rafe Pilling, the director of threat intelligence with cybersecurity firm Sophos, said in a statement that hacktivists and proxy groups “may take action, including cyberattacks, against Israeli and U.S.-affiliated military, commercial, or civilian targets.”
Iran's state broadcast was hacked earlier in 2026
Historically, Iranian state broadcasters have been vulnerable to broadcast signal intrusions.
In January 2026, Reuters reported that State television seemed to have been compromised, momentarily airing addresses by Trump and protest messages and images of Reza Pahlavi before normal programming was restored.
Screens aired a segment with the headline "the real news of the Iranian national revolution" for several minutes during the alleged hack into state television in January.
It contained communications from Iran's last shah's son, Reza Pahlavi, who lived in the United States and called for an uprising to end Shi'ite Muslim clerics' control.
