Iran’s internet and GPS cut off as Trump war tensions escalate | World | News
Internet and GPS signal went dark in Iran (Image: Getty)
Iran has been plunged into darkness, with both internet connectivity and GPS signals no longer functioning in the Middle Eastern country.
Communication outage came as US President Donald Trump and his administration are preparing for possible military action against Iran as the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier group moves closer to the Middle East.
This represents the most significant deployment of US military assets in the region since the Iraq conflict.
Information from local news sources and blogs in and around Iran indicates that residents across the country have lost access to both GPS and internet services.
A journalist reported that all Farsi-language news broadcasts and political channels were stopped after the country’s connection with the Yahsat satellite was lost.
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No further details are yet available and Iranian officials have yet to comment on the alleged outage. Initial reports indicate that internet access has not been completely cut off, but satellite coverage across the country remains patchy in many areas.
The outage came hours after Iranian officials wrapped up a new round of talks with the United States, which appears increasingly close to launching a full-scale military operation against the country.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Thursday “one of the most serious and longest rounds of negotiations” and announced that both countries “met for about four hours in the morning and two and a half hours in the afternoon.”
“We have made good progress during these long, busy hours,” Araghchi said in a statement published by local media on Telegram.
Anti-American propaganda spread as the US threatened to declare war on the country (Image: AP)
“We have entered very seriously into the elements of a deal, both in the nuclear and sanctions area,” he added. “An agreement has been reached on some issues, but it is natural for us to disagree on some issues.
“Perhaps the seriousness of both sides in reaching a negotiated solution was more evident than before,” he continued. “It was agreed that technical teams will begin technical reviews on Monday at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, with the help of the agency’s experts, to arrive at a framework and template for specific technical issues.”
Araghchi confirmed that the easing of sanctions was among the topics discussed, and noted that Iran “very clearly” expressed its “expectations” on the issue.
“Consultations need to be held in the capitals and from now on, we will hold the fourth round of negotiations next week,” the statement said. The statement was included.
Trump threatened war with Iran.
Trump, who abandoned an earlier nuclear deal with Iran during his first term in office, has repeatedly warned Iran of military intervention that would force it to halt its nuclear program; Trump claimed the US had “destroyed” Iranian nuclear facilities following a 12-day conflict in June. Tehran warned it would retaliate with its own attack.
Trump also warned Iran about killing protesters. While both countries have stated they are ready for conflict if negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program collapse, the United States has established its largest military presence in the Middle East in decades as hostilities with Iran escalate.
