Hacktivists hijacked Iran’s state TV to air anti-regime messages and an appeal to protest from Reza Pahlavi

Hacktivists hijacked Iran’s state TV to air anti-regime messages and an appeal to protest from Reza Pahlavi. Anti-regime activists briefly took control of Iran’s Badr satellite, hijacking state TV to broadcast Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s calls for protests against the Islamic Republic. This action involved activists hacking Iran’s Badr satellite, briefly broadcasting Reza Pahlavi’s anti-regime protest messages on state TV channels. Pahlavi’s media team also shared the footage of the hack.

Several Iranian state TV channels carried on the Badr satellite were hacked on Sunday, broadcasting footage of protests along with calls by Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for people to join demonstrations and for military forces to side with protesters. The hacked broadcast aired around 9:30 p.m. and lasted about 10 minutes, according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN News.

The hijacked broadcast urged protesters to keep going, showed solidarity protests around the world, and included support from international leaders. It also featured Pahlavi calling for more protests and asking Iran’s military and security forces to support the demonstrators. According to The Jerusalem Post, the broadcast included messages in Farsi encouraging protesters to continue their activities, media footage of solidarity protests worldwide, and messages of support from international leaders.

Additionally, on January 18, 2026, the independent and non-partisan global internet monitor NetBlocks reported that Internet traffic in Iran dropped again after a brief, tightly restricted restoration of some Google and messaging services, during which a few users shared updates on the crisis.

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