Iran's foreign ministry condemned Britain's decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under its new state threats legislation, calling the move irresponsible and a violation of international law.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said the IRGC was an official branch of Iran's armed forces responsible for defending the country's sovereignty and security, and described the British decision as politically motivated.
The ministry accused Britain of interfering in other countries' internal affairs while alleging London had supported groups it described as “terrorist.”
Iran said it reserved the right to take reciprocal measures in response to what it called Britain's "unlawful" action.
US military personnel and contractors in the Middle East were targeted in a coordinated phone-tracking campaign before and during the Iran war, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing telecom data, cybersecurity experts and officials familiar with the matter.
“Iran absolutely has capabilities to get real-time, immediate, and continuous location information,” Gary Miller, a senior research fellow at cybersecurity watchdog Citizen Lab, told the FT.
“It would surprise me very much if Iran were not using SS7, or mobile network access in the region, to track US users.”
Telecom networks under pressure
Middle Eastern telecom networks, according to the report, blocked repeated requests known as SS7 pings, which can reveal the approximate location of phones roaming outside their home networks.
Two cybersecurity experts who reviewed the data told the FT the activity appeared to be part of a coordinated effort to locate specific devices.
The tracking attempts came in the build-up to the US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February and continued during the early days of the conflict, when Iran launched missile and drone attacks on US forces and military installations across the region.
A person familiar with the matter told the FT that Persian Gulf officials suspected Iran or allied groups had exploited roaming agreements with regional mobile operators to track US personnel.
Separately, a US official speaking anonymously said actors linked to Iran were also believed to have used commercial advertising databases to locate phones in Iraqi Kurdistan.
US lawmakers renew security concerns
US Central Command told Congress in April that it had received multiple threat reports about adversaries exploiting commercial location data to monitor or target US personnel deployed in the region.
However, Centcom said it had taken force-protection measures to safeguard its forces, while a US official told the FT there was no evidence that data tracking had played a significant role in attacks.
At least some blocked tracking attempts could be linked to an Iranian mobile operator based on a shared technical fingerprint.
“This appears to be very specific user targeting,” Miller told the FT. “They are targeting specific devices.”
The Iranian embassy in London did not immediately respond to the newspaper's request for comment.
The report also said Iran was suspected of using commercially available advertising technology to identify hotels housing US government employees and contractors.
Advertising identifiers assigned to smartphones can enable devices to be tracked without directly compromising the phones themselves.
US lawmakers cited by the FT said the findings underscored longstanding concerns about the military's exposure through commercial location data.
Ron Wyden, a Democratic senator, said he had warned successive administrations for years about the national security risks, while Republican Representative Pat Harrigan said legislation was needed to prevent technology companies from selling location data linked to government employees.
German security authorities are investigating indications of possible surveillance activities and preparations for attacks linked to the Iran war, German-language newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday, citing the Interior Ministry.
A ministry spokesperson said federal security agencies were closely monitoring developments related to the Middle East and were examining various leads concerning suspected reconnaissance activities or preparations for possible attacks.
The spokesperson said the agencies were working closely with Germany's regional authorities and international partners to continuously assess the threat environment.
German security authorities are investigating indications of possible surveillance activities and preparations for attacks linked to the Iran war, German-language newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday, citing the Interior Ministry.
A ministry spokesperson said federal security agencies were closely monitoring developments related to the Middle East and were examining various leads concerning suspected reconnaissance activities or preparations for possible attacks.
The spokesperson said the agencies were working closely with Germany's regional authorities and international partners to continuously assess the threat environment.
The review comes after the publication of an Iranian "retaliation list" that included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz among a number of foreign leaders identified as targets for revenge.
The ministry said it had taken note of the publication and its threats, adding that security measures provided by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) were being continuously reviewed and adjusted where necessary.
According to the ministry, the latest escalation between the United States and Iran has not, at this stage, led to a deterioration of Germany's already elevated security assessment.
The ministry also pointed to what it described as Iran's reliance on asymmetric tactics, including intelligence gathering, intimidation of regime opponents abroad and the mobilization of supporters.
It cited Lebanon's Hezbollah, the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Yemen's Houthis as groups aligned with Tehran's so-called "Axis of Resistance."
On Saturday, Tehran municipality-affiliated newspaper Hamshahri published an image of 13 world leaders, including Merz, claiming they were on the Islamic Republic’s revenge list.
It showed them in prison uniforms in crosshairs, alongside the caption: “Revenge is certain.”
The image also showed European leaders Giorgia Meloni, Friedrich Merz, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Iran International on Monday that the threat against the Italian prime minister was unacceptable, adding that, “Italy is not fighting against Iran, so we do not understand this attack against Italy.”
The image also depicted US and Israeli officials, including US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Qatar strongly condemned a Houthi ballistic missile attack on southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, calling it a violation of the kingdom's sovereignty and international law.
Qatar's foreign ministry said the attack was also "a threat to regional security and stability."
The ministry said Qatar stood in full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and supported all measures taken by the kingdom to protect its security, stability, sovereignty, citizens and residents.
