Modern Diplomacy:

BY AULIA KHAIRUNISSA

In mid-2025, Iranian diaspora communities calling home were met not with the voices of loved ones but with robotic interruptions, prerecorded warnings, and abrupt disconnections. These were not simple technical glitches but deliberate maneuvers in a broader strategy of control. What began as censorship within Iran’s borders has now extended into the global communications infrastructure, marking a new phase in digital authoritarianism that threatens both private communication and the legal norms that protect it.

Weaponizing Communication

Internet shutdowns and social media bans have long been tools for authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent. The interception of outbound calls, however, brings repression into a more intimate domain. These disruptions directly target diaspora communities who play crucial roles in amplifying voices inside Iran. Through these tactics, communication is not just blocked; it is militarized.

Diaspora groups are central to international awareness of Iran’s human rights situation. They fund independent journalism, advocate on global platforms, support dissenting voices, and maintain familial ties. Interrupting this flow of communication undermines political agency, social cohesion, and psychological well-being. Disruption becomes more than a privacy issue; it becomes an act of suppression.

The Legal Vacuum

Global law supports many rights, but cross-border communication remains underprotected. United Nations treaties like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantee freedom of expression and information, yet they lack clear enforcement mechanisms. Meanwhile, treaties like UNCLOS protect navigation at sea but offer no model for communication infrastructure.

When states invoke national security to justify interception, they exploit this gap. Without international legal clarity or binding norms, digital rights remain vulnerable. The case of outbound call interception in Iran highlights how easily private communication can be securitized, isolated, and silenced.

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