Iran still jamming local GPS users in wake of Israel war

Unprecedented disruption continues to plague GPS users in Iran since Israel’s surprise attack in mid-June which triggered a 12-day war.

Iran’s communications ministry has said the disruptions were necessary for “security and military purposes,” without giving further explanation.

The streets of Tehran have become a confusing maze for driver Farshad Fooladi amid widespread GPS disruption, still ongoing nearly two months after the end of Iran and Israel’s unprecedented direct conflict.

“For weeks I have been unable to work,” says Fooladi, who uses Iran’s homegrown ride-hailing app Snapp to find customers. “Most of the time was wasted wandering around aimlessly,” the 35-year-old Iranian driver added.

Missiles, drones and rockets often use GPS or other similar technologies, which involve triangulating signals from multiple satellites, to find their targets.

Iran has long employed GPS jamming and spoofing around sensitive military sites but the recent disruptions have been the most sustained and widespread.

It remains unclear how long the measures will last or how much damage they have caused to Iranian businesses.