'Strange' Voicemails Greet Calls To Iran Amid Internet Blackout, Escalating Middle East Conflict

Amid Iran's ongoing conflict with Israel, Iranians living overseas are experiencing unsettling disruptions when attempting to contact friends and family back home.

Rather than hearing a standard ringtone or a familiar voice, many are instead greeted by strange, robotic voicemail messages.

Photo Credit: AP/PTI

In some instances, the calls appear to be intercepted by an automated voice stating, "Alo? Alo? Who is calling? I can't heard you... I think I don't know who are you."

According to CNN, in one telephone call recording, a person dialling from outside Iran to a friend inside the country was met with a robotic voice that said: "Hello, and thank you for taking the time to listen."

"Life is full of unexpected surprises and these surprises can sometimes bring joy while, at other times, they challenge us. The key is to discover the strength within us to overcome these challenges," the message continued.

Following a roughly 90-second unsettling monologue, the listener is instructed to close their eyes and visualise themselves in a setting that brings them "peace and happiness."

This version appears to have been the most widely reported among people outside Iran calling Iranian mobile numbers on Wednesday and Thursday, although other variants of the message have also been recorded.

Those who rang landlines did not receive any similar responses.

The bizarre messages began appearing after Iran implemented a nationwide internet blackout on Wednesday, citing security concerns. With services such as WhatsApp rendered inaccessible, many abroad turned to direct phone calls to stay in touch with loved ones within Iran, only to encounter these strange automated voices.

Notably, these messages have not been heard during calls made through internet-based applications.

Initial speculation included the possibility of an Israeli cyberattack, but others have suggested the Iranian government could be responsible.

Theories range from a technical fallback system activated during network outages to a deliberate psychological tactic amidst the near-total internet and telecom shutdown, which has been in effect since 17 June.

Some observers have gone so far as to suggest it may be a form of psychological warfare in the context of the Israel-Iran conflict.

Alp Toker, founder and director of NetBlocks, an independent organisation monitoring internet governance, believes the messages are an attempt by Iranian authorities to control telecommunications.

"The point is, when the internet is cut, the phones need to go somewhere, and that will go to the fallback message on the device," he told CNN.

Meanwhile, on the tenth day of the Israel-Iran conflict, the United States formally entered the confrontation, launching airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities - Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.