Failure of Reza Pahlavi and Mossad’s Joint Project After Hack of Iran International

WANA (Jul 09) – Reports from Iran indicate that the anti-Iranian TV channel “Iran International” has been targeted by a cyberattack carried out by a group calling itself “Handala,” which has leaked information about people in contact with the outlet. This incident comes just days after Reza Pahlavi, a prominent opponent of the Islamic Republic, announced on the channel the launch of a “secure communications channel.”

Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last Shah, had earlier unveiled in an Iran International interview a system for confidential communication with his supporters inside Iran. During the live broadcast, he displayed a QR code inviting Iranian military, security, police, and government personnel to contact his team through this channel. According to Pahlavi, around 20,000 people joined the campaign in a week, and the data collected was being “analyzed and processed.”

Pahlavi described the initiative as a “national cooperation platform,” but critics—including Faramarz Dadras, a former officer in the Imperial Guard—have called it a “spy project,” pointing to possible links with Israel’s intelligence service (Mossad).

Reza Pahlavi visits Israel. April 2023. Social media / WANA News Agency

Following the recent cyberattack, media reports suggest that the identities of people connected to this “communications channel,” or those intending to cooperate, have been exposed. This has been described as a “failure” or a renewed “loss of credibility” for Reza Pahlavi.

Previously, Pahlavi had launched other campaigns to rally support among Iranians abroad, such as the “Man Vekalat Midaham” (“I Give Power of Attorney”) campaign aimed at gaining political legitimacy. Despite the Iranian diaspora numbering in the millions, participation was reportedly under 500,000, and critics have viewed this as another failure on his part.

Some Iranian social media users have warned that those who used this “communications channel” may have had their personal information leaked. These developments come despite Pahlavi having said in an earlier interview that he was not willing to “sacrifice” or pay a personal cost to achieve his political goals.