Members of Australia's Iranian diaspora are reporting direct and chilling surveillance by the Islamist regime in Tehran during phone calls with relatives back home, as authorities attempt to quash a major anti-government uprising.
‘You need to hang up now’: Direct threats on the line
One man, identified only as Hussein for safety reasons, described a terrifying moment during a call with his mother in Tehran. After a week-long communications blackout imposed by the regime, his mother finally made contact on Tuesday evening.
When Hussein questioned the regime's official narrative about the protests, which his mother had repeated after watching state-run broadcasts, the call took a sinister turn. "As soon as I said that I could hear her talking to someone else on the line," Hussein said. His mother relayed a command from a third party: "quickly cut off the conversation." The call ended after less than two minutes with her final, strained words: "don't worry."
Siamak Ghahreman, president of an Australian Iranian community organisation, stated that six people this week alone reported similar experiences. "They said when speaking to a relative this voice comes up and tells them the same thing: 'you need to hang up now'," he explained. He noted this marked an escalation in tactics: "They normally listen in hiding but now they are not even hiding it. They want you to know you are being listened to and to be quiet."
A ‘well-oiled’ surveillance machine ramps up pressure
Experts confirm that telecommunications surveillance by Iranian security forces is a longstanding, systematic practice. Sahar Razavi, director of the Iranian and Middle Eastern Studies Center at California State University, described the Islamic Republic as having "a very well oiled machine when it comes to surveillance."
She explained that intercepting calls is common to monitor dissent and create a chilling effect. Razavi, who is Iranian-American, received calls this week from relatives in Iran who were "extremely reserved" and aware they could be under surveillance.
Kambiz Razmara, vice-president of the Australian-Iranian Society of Victoria, said many in the community had suspected monitoring for weeks. "When they've started speaking about the troubles in Iran, the calls have disconnected," he observed, highlighting the regime's control over direct phone-to-phone communication.
Protests and a brutal crackdown under the blackout
The surveillance reports come amid one of the most significant challenges to Iran's theocratic leadership in years. Protests, initially sparked by economic crisis and mismanagement, have evolved into a widespread movement with chants of "death to the dictator" aimed at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The regime's response has been brutally violent. While official figures are suppressed, the US-based Human Rights Activists news agency reports over 2,500 killed, with unofficial estimates soaring as high as 12,000. Reports have emerged of hundreds of protesters sustaining eye injuries from gunshots.
To stifle information flow, the regime imposed a nationwide internet shutdown beginning on 8 January. Some Iranians have risked their lives to use Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system to share evidence of the crackdown. The diaspora in Australia, typically reliant on encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, has been forced to wait for monitored international calls to learn if loved ones are safe, while holding their own demonstrations in solidarity.
The current climate leaves families trapped between fear and a desperate need for connection, with every word on the phone line potentially monitored by a regime intent on survival.
