Iran's Smartwatch Security Lapse Rekindles Israeli Espionage Concerns

A recent scandal has erupted in Iran following the circulation of photographs showing high-ranking officials wearing smartwatches, raising concerns about a persistent security vulnerability. These connected devices can transmit location and activity data, and similar vulnerabilities have previously been linked to Israeli operations targeting Iranian leadership, according to Maariv.

The photos featured Gholam Reza Jalali, head of the National Passive Defense Organization; a senior defense ministry official identified only by his title; and Ali Shamkhani, former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. The images were disseminated by Ali Ghalkhani, a conservative commentator associated with Iran's security forces, who questioned the security protocols of officials with access to sensitive information. Jalali defended the use of smartwatches by comparing them to internet-connected televisions in ordinary homes, a comparison criticized given his role in protecting critical infrastructure.

The primary danger of such devices lies in their location-tracking capabilities. Smartwatches can exchange data via GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, connect to smartphones, and some models include microphones and other sensors. The risks associated with these technologies are well-documented; in 2018, publicly available data from a fitness app revealed the routes of military personnel on U.S. bases, leading to restrictions on location-tracking devices in certain zones.

For Iran, this issue gained prominence after the 2025 war, when the Iranian cyber command prohibited senior officials and their security details from using devices connected to public networks, including smartphones, laptops, and smartwatches. Officials were warned that simply turning off devices might not prevent detection.

These enhanced measures followed reports that Israel had exploited electronic devices belonging to high-ranking Iranians to pinpoint their locations, reportedly including the phones of guards and drivers. A notable incident on June 16, 2025, involved a meeting of the Supreme National Security Council in a Tehran underground facility. Although participants had no mobile phones, the facility's location was allegedly determined through the devices of their accompanying guards, who had been less strictly regulated than commanders and officials.

Despite tightened information security requirements after such incidents, the new photographs indicate that individuals responsible for national defense continue to use networked devices. Ghalkhani has called for a review of current regulations and a thorough investigation into past security breaches, asserting that inadequate control over electronic devices may have facilitated Israel's intelligence gathering on Iranian military and political figures.