DUBAI – Iranian state television broadcasts were interrupted by hackers who aired segments in support of the nation’s exiled crown prince, urging security forces to refrain from using their weapons against the populace. This incident, which was captured online early Monday, adds to the series of disruptions accompanying the widespread protests sweeping across the country.

Activists report that the death toll from the government’s crackdown on these demonstrations has reached at least 3,919 individuals. There is mounting concern that this number could rise significantly as more information emerges from a nation where authorities have imposed strict internet blackouts.

The situation has further strained relations between the United States and Iran. President Donald Trump has explicitly warned Tehran against the killing of peaceful protesters and the possibility of mass executions in the protest aftermath. In a move that could escalate tensions, a U.S. aircraft carrier, previously stationed in the South China Sea, sailed past Singapore overnight, entering the Strait of Malacca, potentially heading towards the Middle East.

State TV Interference

The unauthorized broadcast took place late Sunday across several channels operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, which holds exclusive control over the nation’s TV and radio. The footage included appearances by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and scenes depicting security forces, some appearing to wear Iranian police uniforms. Although the video suggested that some have “laid down their weapons and swore an oath of allegiance to the people,” it did not provide any supporting evidence for these claims.

One of the graphics displayed during the broadcast delivered a clear message: “This is a message to the army and security forces. Don’t point your weapons at the people. Join the nation for the freedom of Iran.”

The semiofficial Fars news agency, believed to be close to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, quoted a statement from the state broadcaster acknowledging that the signal in “some areas of the country was momentarily disrupted by an unknown source.” It did not discuss what had been aired.

A statement from Pahlavi’s office acknowledged the disruption that showed the crown prince. It did not respond to questions from The Associated Press about the hack.

“I have a special message for the military. You are the national army of Iran, not the Islamic Republic army,” Pahlavi said in the hacked broadcast. “You have a duty to protect your own lives. You don’t have much time left. Join the people as soon as possible.”

Social media footage shared abroad, possibly from those with Starlink satellites to get around the internet shutdown, showed the hack in progress across multiple channels. Pahlavi’s campaign also shared the footage.

Sunday’s hack isn’t the first to see Iranian airwaves disrupted. In 1986, The Washington Post reported that the CIA supplied the prince’s allies “a miniaturized television transmitter for an 11-minute clandestine broadcast” to Iran by Pahlavi that pirated the signal of two stations in the Islamic Republic.

In 2022, multiple channels aired footage showing leaders from the exiled opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq and a graphic calling for the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Pahlavi’s father, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled Iran ahead of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Pahlavi, the son, urged protesters onto the streets Jan. 8 as Iranian authorities shut down the internet and drastically intensified their crackdown.

How much support Pahlavi has inside of Iran remains an open question, though there have been pro-shah cries at the demonstrations.

US aircraft carrier possibly on path to Mideast

As tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington, ship-tracking data analyzed by the AP on Monday showed the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, as well as other American military vessels, in the Strait of Malacca after passing Singapore on a route that could take them to the Middle East.

The Lincoln had been in the South China Sea with its strike group as a deterrent to China over tensions with Taiwan. Tracking data showed that the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., the USS Michael Murphy and the USS Spruance, all Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, were traveling with the Lincoln through the strait.

Multiple U.S. media reports quoting anonymous officials have said the Lincoln, which has its homeport in San Diego, was on its way to the Mideast. It likely would still need several days of travel before its aircraft would be in range of the region. The Mideast has been without an aircraft carrier group or an amphibious ready group, likely complicating any discussion of a military operation targeting Iran given Gulf Arab states’ broad opposition to such an attack.

Death toll from crackdown rises

The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency put the death toll Sunday to at least 3,919 people killed, warning it likely would go higher.

The agency has been accurate throughout the years of demonstrations and unrest in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The AP has been unable to independently confirm the toll.

Iranian officials have not given a clear death toll, although on Saturday, Khamenei said the protests had left “several thousand” people dead and blamed the United States for the deaths. It was the first indication from an Iranian leader of the extent of the casualties from the wave of protests that began Dec. 28 over Iran’s ailing economy.

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Associated Press writer Elena Becatoros contributed to this report.