Hacker group says interrupted online streaming of Iran president's speech

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – A hacker group calling itself Edalat e Ali (Justice of Ali) says it interrupted the online broadcast of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's speech on Saturday marking the 44th anniversary of the 1979 revolution.

Telewebion, a live-streaming platform affiliated with Iran's state broadcaster, was purportedly hacked briefly during Raisi's speech at the iconic Azadi Square in Tehran.

In a 44-second video clip published on Twitter, the anonymous hacker group opposed to the government urged people to take part in countrywide protests next week and withdraw money from state banks.

“Many compatriots approached us and asked us to relay the call (for protests) on February 16,” the group said.

A spokesman for Telewebion in a statement downplayed the claim, saying that live transmission was "uninterrupted", adding that a "technical review" of the images published in the virtual space was underway.

In October, the hacker group, which came into prominence during months of protests in Iran, briefly interrupted the live broadcast of the Iranian Supreme Leader's meeting with government officials.

Iran has been rocked by sweeping protests since September last year following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Many observers have described the deadly unrest as the worst since 1979 revolution.

Iran has blamed the US and its European allies for "instigating rioters", while Western states have slapped many rounds of sanctions on Iranian officials and entities, accusing them of a "crackdown" on protests.

Speaking to the public gathering in Tehran on Saturday, Raisi said the "rioters" have been "defeated" while launching a fresh attack on the US and calling for the withdrawal of American forces from the region.