Tehran, June 18 (V7N) – Iranian state television has urged its citizens to cease using WhatsApp, amid accusations that the messaging platform is being exploited by Israel to monitor and target Iranians. The warning, aired on Iran's state-run radio station IRIB on Tuesday (June 17), also included other apps such as Telegram and various location-based services, labeling them “major tools for Israel to identify and target Iranians.”

The Iranian government alleges that WhatsApp and Telegram function as "Israeli spy tools," claiming these platforms compromise national security by facilitating espionage. In response, a WhatsApp spokesperson told CBS News, “We are concerned that these false claims will not be used as an excuse to shut down our service. All messages sent on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one except the sender and recipient can see them—not even WhatsApp. We do not track users’ exact locations, keep message logs, or monitor private messages. We do not provide public information to any government.”

The call to stop using WhatsApp and similar apps comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel. On June 12, Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, scientists, and senior military commanders. Iran retaliated by firing dozens of ballistic missiles. Internet monitoring firm Netblocks reported a 75% drop in internet usage in Iran during this period, potentially restricting the public’s access to information during the conflict.

WhatsApp, owned by Meta, was previously banned in Iran during the 2022 mass protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old student Mohsa Amini in police custody. Despite WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, it is not completely immune to cyberattacks.

The Iranian government’s allegations of WhatsApp data being funneled to Israel lack public evidence, making independent verification difficult. However, analysts point out that Israel possesses advanced cyber capabilities, including a well-documented history of offensive cyber operations such as the Stuxnet attack on Iran’s nuclear program in 2010.

Israel’s elite cyber units, including Unit 8200, and numerous Israeli cybersecurity firms, play a significant role in global cyber intelligence and espionage. Israeli companies have been linked to hacking WhatsApp accounts, notably through Pegasus spyware developed by NSO Group, an Israel-based cyber intelligence company.

In 2019, Pegasus spyware was used to hack the data of 1,400 people worldwide, including journalists, activists, and politicians. Last month, a U.S. federal court ordered NSO Group to pay Meta nearly $170 million in damages for these hacks. Another Israeli company, Paragon Solutions, reportedly targeted nearly 100 WhatsApp accounts using advanced spyware that accessed private communications after decryption.

Such cyberattacks often utilize spearphishing—a targeted form of phishing where attackers send deceptive messages to specific individuals to trick them into installing spyware. These messages can appear legitimate, requesting urgent actions like reviewing documents or resetting passwords, which lead victims to fake login pages or malware downloads.

To defend against spearphishing and other cyber threats, users are advised to scrutinize unexpected messages, avoid clicking suspicious links or downloading unknown files, hover over links to verify destinations, enable two-factor authentication, keep software updated, and undergo regular cybersecurity training.

As the Iran-Israel conflict intensifies, concerns over digital surveillance and information security remain high, with Iran’s call to boycott WhatsApp marking the latest development in this ongoing cyber battleground.

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