A mysterious numbers station has been broadcasting through the Iran war, sending a string of cryptic messages twice a day on a shortwave frequency. The broadcast, which has been playing since February 28, has been tracked by Priyom, an organization that monitors global military and intelligence use of shortwave radio. According to Priyom, the broadcast was first detected as the US bombing of Iran began and has since been playing on the 7910 kHz shortwave frequency at 02.00 UTC and 18.00 UTC. Experts believe the broadcast is likely part of a Cold War-era system known as number stations, which are shortwave radio transmissions that play strings of numbers or codes that sound random.
The two-hour-long transmission is divided into five to six segments, each lasting up to 20 minutes, and is punctuated with an English word or two. Radio jammers were heard attempting to block the frequency five days into the broadcast, and the transmission shifted to a different frequency—7842 kHz—the following day. Despite the efforts to disrupt the transmission, it continues to air, leaving many questions about who is behind the broadcasts and who they are intended for.
The use of number stations is most commonly associated with espionage, and experts believe that the broadcast is likely used by intelligence agencies to communicate with their spies. The broadcast's origins have been narrowed down to a US military base in Böblingen, Germany, but the identity of the sender remains unknown.
The mysterious numbers station broadcasting through the Iran war highlights the ongoing use of Cold War-era tactics in modern espionage. This development raises questions about the role of intelligence agencies in global conflicts and the measures they take to communicate with their spies. As the tech landscape continues to evolve, it's clear that some tactics remain unchanged, and it's essential for tech professionals to stay informed about these developments.
