A top U.S. commander in the Middle East has issued a stark warning to troops regarding the use of their cellphones, particularly when sharing footage of Iranian attacks on bases. Admiral Brad Cooper, the top general overseeing operations in the region, stated in a letter that Iran is monitoring these videos in near real-time to assess the success of its strikes.
Personnel stationed across the Middle East could soon face orders to surrender their mobile devices, a move that would impact thousands of troops who rely on them to maintain contact with family. Cooper emphasized the potential cost of this open-source intelligence, writing that it "could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries."
Troops at bases in Jordan, which has recently been a frequent target of Iranian drone and missile attacks, may have their phones confiscated within days. This directive comes as the U.S. military intensifies efforts to limit information that could aid Iran in inflicting further casualties.
Concern Over Battle Damage Assessment
The warning follows recent events, including the deaths of four U.S. troops in the preceding weeks. Fighting with Iran resumed following the collapse of a ceasefire. One incident highlighted in Cooper's letter involved a video posted online showing a service member filming during an Iranian attack on a Jordanian base on July 17. The footage, reportedly captured on smart glasses and shared on Instagram, revealed the evacuation route to a bunker.
Cooper explained that without such publicly available information, Iran would have limited ability to determine if its strikes were effective. "Iran knows the weapons were fired; however, their forces do not know if they missed by 50 meters, hit an empty tarmac, or successfully struck a crowded facility," Cooper wrote. He added that detailed accounts of damage, even if published by news outlets, effectively provide Iran with free battle damage assessments.
Since the current conflict with Iran began in February, 18 U.S. troops have been killed and over 600 wounded. Public support for the war has also dwindled, with only about one-third of Americans endorsing the ongoing fighting.
Broader Security Concerns
While troops are already accustomed to restrictions on device use for sensitive missions, the prospect of wholesale confiscation has caused unease among some families. The Pentagon has for years warned about the security risks associated with mobile applications, including fitness trackers, that can expose location data exploitable by adversaries. Commercially available location data from smartphones has previously been used to monitor and target U.S. forces abroad.
Admiral Cooper concluded his letter by stating that allowing Iran to gauge the success of its attacks could encourage it to launch a "secondary, much more devastating wave of attacks."