On Sunday night, January 18, 2026, the usual programs on several Iranian TV stations were cut short by an unexpected visitor. For roughly ten minutes starting at 9:30 p.m., hackers took over the signals to air footage of street protests and a pre-recorded message from Reza Pahlavi, the country’s exiled Crown Prince.
Details of the Breach
The hack hit channels delivered via the Badr satellite, the same system the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) uses to reach rural and provincial audiences. During the takeover, Pahlavi was seen speaking directly to the country’s security forces.
“You are the national army of Iran, not the Islamic Republic army,” Pahlavi said in the clip. He urged soldiers to put down their weapons and side with the citizens.
The broadcast also flashed graphics claiming that some troops had already switched sides, though no evidence was given to back that up. Clips of this breach quickly went viral, shared by Pahlavi’s team, local media, and news outlets like Iran International.
The Economic Root of the Anger
This protest from hacktivists comes during a time of extreme crisis that began in late December 2025. A massive crash in the value of the Iranian Rial (Iran’s money) caused food prices to spiral out of control. Many people on the street blamed this economic pain on government corruption rather than outside pressure.
This period was also incredibly violent. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), an independent research firm that uses a network of local volunteers, has verified at least 3,919 deaths so far.
However, the true number may be even higher. An Iranian official recently told Reuters that their internal estimates show at least 5,000 people have been killed, a total that includes about 500 members of the security forces. Even Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei admitted that “several thousand” have been killed, though he blamed the United States for the chaos.
Information Under Lock and Key
To stop news of the violence from spreading and censorship, authorities had shut down almost all internet and mobile services for two weeks. However, some residents used Starlink satellite kits to get the hacked footage out to the world.
Regarding the incident, the Fars news agency, a semi-official source linked to the country’s Revolutionary Guard, quoted the state broadcaster as saying the signal was “momentarily disrupted by an unknown source” in certain areas. However, they didn’t mention the protest footage or the Crown Prince’s speech in their official explanation.