Iran’s communications minister confirmed on Wednesday that widespread disruptions to GPS and internet services were linked to “security considerations” and said raising tariffs for mobile operators had become unavoidable to sustain services.
“Disruptions in frequency bands and GPS signals are due to security concerns and the possible presence of drones,” Sattar Hashemi told reporters after a cabinet meeting, according to state media. “Naturally, this has created problems in providing services to the people. We are negotiating and working step by step to resolve them.”
Hashemi said Iran would not rely on a single technology, when asked about switching to China’s BeiDou navigation system. “We will naturally use all capacities that exist in the world. Sole reliance on one technology is not in our interest,” he said.
He also addressed mounting pressure from mobile operators to increase prices, noting that years of frozen tariffs and rising costs had left them struggling to maintain services.
“The significant increase in operating costs and wages, the higher price of imported equipment, and rising electricity bills have pushed operators to seek tariff reviews. Revising tariffs is essential for maintaining service quality and carrying out development projects,” he said.
The comments follow warnings from Irancell, Iran’s second-largest operator, that without a 70% rise in tariffs the country could face daily internet blackouts of up to three hours.
“If tariffs are not adjusted, operators will not be able to invest, and improving internet quality will be impossible,” CEO Alireza Rafiei said earlier this week, warning that internet outages could soon resemble Iran’s routine power cuts.
Iran has been grappling with deteriorating connectivity since a 12-day war with Israel in June. Internet speeds have slowed, blackouts have multiplied, and GPS interference has continued across major cities, disrupting everything from ride-hailing services and delivery apps to logistics firms and automated calls to prayer.
Ordinary Iranians say the disruptions have upended daily routines. “Even ordering food has become a pain,” a Tehran resident told Iran International. “Drivers can’t find you or show up at the wrong place. By the time it gets to you, it’s cold or your lunch break is over.”
Officials have defended the disruptions as necessary for national defense, arguing GPS jamming can prevent drones and guided missiles from hitting their targets.
“Some of the disruptions to the GPS system originate from within the country for military and security purposes,” Deputy Minister Ehsan Chitsaz said last month, adding Iran was exploring BeiDou as an alternative.
A report by Tehran’s E-Commerce Association earlier in the month ranked Iran 97th out of 100 countries for connectivity, calling its internet “unreliable, restricted and slow.” The group said more than 10 million online businesses had been damaged by systemic disruption.
Hashemi acknowledged the crisis had hurt businesses but insisted raising tariffs and diversifying technology were the only viable paths forward. “We must preserve the ability of operators to develop networks,” he said. “That requires revising tariffs and using every global capacity available.”
Fada-Hossein Maleki, a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told Didban Iran that “if the Europeans want to activate the snapback mechanism, we will also continue the war with the Zionist regime.”
Maleki argued that such a step would destabilize global and regional equations. “Triggering this mechanism will entangle many players,” he warned.
He also accused Israel of undermining diplomacy by attacking Iran during ongoing nuclear negotiations, saying: “With that aggression, we practically saw the death of diplomacy.”
"Now, the activation of the snapback mechanism would once again mean abandoning diplomacy, and if the Europeans choose this path, this time we will put forward the tools of war and continue the 12-day conflict.”
He added, “The next war will not be one that ends in 12 days, or even one or two months. Dangerous events will inevitably unfold for all countries in the region.”
Maleki said Iran’s “first step” in response to a European move would be withdrawal from the NPT. “This issue has long been on the agenda of the commission and parliament,” he said.
Britain, France and Germany — the so-called E3 — have warned Iran that unless it returns to nuclear talks by the end of August, they will trigger the mechanism that could reimpose all UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.
The lawmaker said Iran had now rebuilt its military readiness after the 12-day conflict and was “prepared for offensive operations in case of any new confrontation.”
“Today America and some European countries are seeking to expand unilateralism and impose their views on other nations,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA. “This approach has not been and will not be tolerable for you or for us.”
Pezeshkian, who arrived in Belarus on Tuesday night, said Tehran and Minsk enjoyed “broad common ground” not only in bilateral relations but also in regional and international forums, citing the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS as platforms for cooperation.
“Western countries led by America want to force us to move according to their will,” he said. “But Iran and Belarus believe they lack nothing compared with countries that impose sanctions, and that together they can overcome sanctions and difficulties.”
Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, welcomed Pezeshkian and said: “Belarus is a friendly country and a reliable partner for Iran. You have come to a friend.” He assured his Iranian counterpart that Minsk wanted to expand cooperation and resolve obstacles to existing agreements.
"In conditions of geopolitical turbulence, Minsk and Tehran are undertaking consistent and balanced steps to further develop cooperation, and are working hard to turn each new challenge into a new opportunity," Belarusian state news agency Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying.
"We are ready to discuss any issues, we have no closed topics," Lukashenko said, adding that the two countries could partner across a range of areas including "military-technical cooperation".
Recalling his own visit to Tehran, Lukashenko said: “I have very good memories from this trip, especially the meeting with the Supreme Leader of Iran. I ask you to convey my best wishes to him. I believe that there are no closed paths before us and we can elevate our relations to the highest levels.”
The two leaders witnessed the signing of 12 cooperation documents in areas including politics, international law, tourism, culture, media, health, pharmaceuticals, industry, environment, free zones, special economic zones and investment, as well as a joint statement.
Pezeshkian also laid a wreath at Minsk’s Victory Square memorial before beginning his official meetings. His trip to Belarus followed a state visit to Armenia earlier this week.
“In recent weeks, multiple reports have surfaced about a facility in Shahin Shahr officially designated as a ‘prison employment site,’ which in practice has become a warehouse for holding hundreds of inmates in harsh, inhuman conditions,” the group said.
The facility is described as a large warehouse with a small yard fenced off with barbed wire, lacking the basic standards of an official prison. Photographs published by the group show the area but do not provide verifiable coordinates due to concealment and security measures.
“Despite its name, no job training or rehabilitation takes place there. Instead, around 100 prisoners are bussed out daily from 5 a.m. and put to work in conditions resembling forced labor.”
Iran International can not independently verify the report.
Harsh conditions and deprivation
Prisoners endure overcrowding without cooling or ventilation systems, the rights group added. Water and electricity are cut for three days each week, and detainees are given only minimal food.
“Food and bread are provided in very small and poor-quality amounts… daily rations are just two loaves of bread and low-quality food.”
No medical services are available, and the only drugs regularly distributed are sedatives and methadone, pushing many inmates to forced consumption, wrote the Iran Human Rights Society.
“Reports from Shahin Shahr prison paint a disturbing picture of a hidden and illegal detention site… a place for added deprivation, forced labor, and psychological and physical pressure,” the report said, urging international bodies to press Iran to meet its human rights obligations.
