Amman, Jordan. The top U.S. commander for the Middle East has warned service members that cellphone videos shared online may help Iran target American bases, while sources said some deployed personnel could be ordered to surrender their phones.
The warning comes as thousands of U.S. troops in the region rely on mobile phones to contact relatives and report that they are safe.
Operational security warning
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, said Iran could assess the success or failure of its strikes in near real time through news reports and online posts by journalists containing “reactions, photos, and footage from the cellphones of our troops.”
In a July 28 letter obtained by Reuters, Cooper said the consequences of such open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries.
He called on troops to “redouble our focus on operational security” but did not specify measures in the memo.
Possible phone restrictions
In Jordan, which has been frequently targeted by Iranian strikes, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that some troops had been informed their phones would be confiscated in the coming days.
A third source said phone confiscation was being considered in the region because of operational security concerns, but said it was not certain to be implemented.
U.S. Central Command spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins said Cooper’s message was a general reminder of the importance of maintaining operational security and was one of several ways the commander had communicated operational priorities.
Footage from an attack
A video posted online this month showed a U.S. service member recording soldiers running for shelter during a deadly Iranian attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17.