Tehran – June 18, 2025 — Messaging giant WhatsApp has expressed deep concern over potential restrictions on its services in Iran following accusations by Iranian state media that the platform is collaborating with Israel and compromising users’ data.

On Tuesday, Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, called on citizens to delete WhatsApp, alleging the app was collecting personal data — including user locations and communications — and sharing them with Israel. The accusation coincides with an intensifying military conflict between the two nations, now in its sixth consecutive day of cross-border strikes.

WhatsApp has denied the allegations, dismissing them as baseless and misleading. A spokesperson for the platform stated, “All messages on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted, which means only the sender and recipient can read them. We do not track users’ locations, maintain logs of who is messaging whom, or monitor personal conversations.”

The company added that it does not share bulk data with any government, directly countering claims made on Iranian state television. “We’re concerned these false reports will be used as an excuse to block our services at a time when people need them most,” the spokesperson told AFP.

The backdrop of this digital standoff is a severe military escalation between Iran and Israel. On Wednesday, Israel confirmed it had struck a nuclear facility near Tehran, while Iran reported firing hypersonic missiles at Israeli targets earlier in the day.

Amid rising tensions, Tehran announced temporary internet restrictions, with several websites and apps — including WhatsApp — becoming partially inaccessible. Authorities have urged citizens to limit their internet use and advised extra caution in online activity.

Furthermore, government workers and security personnel have reportedly been barred from using connected devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, and laptops for the duration of the Israeli offensive.

This is not the first time Iran has cracked down on digital platforms. In the wake of the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, Iranian authorities restricted access to multiple social media and messaging apps, WhatsApp among them.

As the conflict deepens, the debate over digital privacy and censorship in Iran once again comes into sharp focus, with millions of users caught between geopolitical tensions and state surveillance concerns.