The top US commander for the Middle East has issued a stark warning to troops, cautioning that cellphone videos shared online are inadvertently assisting Iran in targeting American bases.
This concern has led to discussions about potentially ordering some deployed personnel to surrender their mobile phones, sources told Reuters.
Such a move to restrict mobile communications would significantly alter the landscape for thousands of US troops in the region, many of whom rely on their devices to stay in touch with family and reassure them of their safety.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, detailed these concerns in a previously undisclosed letter dated July 28. He stated that Iran benefits from near real-time intelligence on the success or failure of its strikes by monitoring news reports and online posts, including “reactions, photos, and footage from the cellphones of our troops.”
“The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries,” Cooper wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters. He urged troops to “redouble our focus on operational security,” though he did not specify immediate actions.
This warning highlights the growing tension between real-time war reporting, often fueled by satellite imagery and personal accounts, and the US military’s efforts to control information that could aid Iran in its attempts to inflict casualties on American forces.
In Jordan, a frequent target of Iranian attacks, some troops have reportedly been informed that their phones will be confiscated in the coming days, according to two sources familiar with the situation. A third source indicated that such a measure was under consideration across the region due to operational security concerns, but did not confirm it as a definite policy.
Captain Timothy Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, commented: “The message is a general reminder to our service members on the importance of maintaining operational security. This is one of many opportunities Admiral Cooper has used to convey operational priorities.”
Meta Glasses video sparks fury
The urgency of Cooper’s message was underscored by a video posted online this month, showing a US service member recording as soldiers ran for shelter during a deadly Iranian attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17.
Cooper appeared to reference this footage in his letter, noting it was recorded on Meta smart glasses with a built-in camera.
“Video captured from a service member’s Meta glasses was posted on Instagram showing where and how the individual had evacuated to a bunker during an Iranian missile and drone attack,” he wrote.
Normally, Iran would struggle to determine the effectiveness of its strikes due to US military electronic jamming and other tactics, Cooper explained.
“Iran knows the weapons were fired; however, their forces do not know if they missed by 50 meters, hit an empty tarmac, or successfully struck a crowded facility,” he stated.
“Detailed lists, descriptions, and analyses of what was hit, openly published by news outlets are essentially performing Iran’s Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) for them, free of charge.”
The conflict with Iran, which began on February 28, has resulted in 18 US troop deaths and over 600 wounded, deepening public concern about a war supported by only one in three Americans. Democratic lawmakers have sought more information, including details on damage to US infrastructure at bases and the findings of a military investigation into a likely US strike on a girls’ school in Iran, first reported by Reuters on the war’s opening day.
Rules governing cell phone use for deployed troops vary widely across the military, with some missions imposing strict bans. However, the prospect of phone seizures has heightened anxiety among family members, who are already concerned by Iranian claims of successful strikes in the Middle East, two sources noted.
US officials have long warned that mobile applications, such as fitness trackers, can be exploited by adversaries using location data to target forces. Reuters previously reported in May that commercially available location data from smartphones has been used to surveil or target US personnel.
The Pentagon has consistently sought to control information release due to operational security, often declining to comment on Iranian attack claims or detail individual injuries.
Cooper emphasized that public disclosures of strike details could prompt Iran to launch “a secondary, much more devastating wave of attacks.”
