Smartwatches on Iran's Security Chiefs Fuel Internal Criticism Amid Ongoing Risks

What happened

Iran International reports that senior Iranian military and security officials have been photographed wearing smartwatches, prompting renewed criticism of their security practices. The images, shared on X by conservative commentator Ali Gholhaki, show smartwatches on the wrists of three top officials, including Gholamreza Jalali, head of the Passive Defense Organization, Reza Farahi, a Defense Ministry official, and the late Ali Shamkhani, former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council who was killed in US and Israeli airstrikes in February 2026.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. The criticism focuses on the threat posed by such devices, which can transmit location and other data through GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. Gholhaki linked these devices to prior intelligence failures that allowed Israeli forces to track and assassinate Iranian commanders during the 12-day conflict in June 2025. At that time, Iran’s Cyber Security Command banned officials from using connected devices, including smartwatches, but key vulnerabilities remained, especially among bodyguards exempt from phone bans who were exploited to locate officials.

This internal dispute reflects ongoing concerns inside Iran about repeated intelligence breaches undermining the security of its senior military and nuclear personnel. Gholhaki has called for comprehensive changes to security protocols and a postwar inquiry into the causes of security lapses that have cost Iran high-ranking officials' lives.

Known from the source

• Senior Iranian officials including Gholamreza Jalali and the late Ali Shamkhani have been photographed wearing smartwatches.
• Ali Shamkhani was killed in US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28, 2026.
• Iran’s Cyber Security Command banned connected personal devices for officials during the June 2025 war.
• Israel reportedly tracked Iranian officials by hacking phones of their bodyguards during the 2025 conflict according to reports cited by the New York Times.
• Smartwatches can transmit location and activity data via GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or paired phones.

What remains unclear

The smartwatch row also highlights broader issues of digital security in a country facing intense external intelligence aggression and internal repression. While senior officials’ actions have sparked criticism, Iran continues stringent controls on ordinary citizens, exemplified by the death sentence of blogger Marziyeh Ebrahimi Shamsabadi, convicted on intelligence-related charges amid severe interrogation practices.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Exact circumstances and attribution of Ali Shamkhani’s death in airstrikes. Details on whether Jalali or other officials have issued statements clarifying smartwatch use. Verification of the current status and enforcement of device bans within Iranian security forces.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: Iran International. Open the source.