CENTCOM warns Iran is mining troops' phone and Meta glasses footage as US mulls confiscating devices

WASHINGTON, DC: The top US commander for the Middle East has warned troops that cellphone videos and photos shared online can help Iran assess the success of its strikes in near real-time, and some deployed personnel could soon be ordered to hand over their phones altogether.

In a previously unreported letter whose copy was obtained by Reuters, Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), wrote that Iran is benefiting from being able to track the outcome of its attacks by monitoring news reports and social media posts containing "reactions, photos, and footage from the cellphones of our troops."

Cooper's warning comes as some troops in Jordan have already been told to prepare to surrender their devices and as the ongoing conflict with Iran continues to escalate.

Footage might be giving Iran a targeting edge

Cooper explained in his letter that without open-source material posted by troops, Iran would know its weapons had fired but have no way of confirming whether they struck their intended targets.

"Detailed lists, descriptions, and analyses of what was hit, openly published by news outlets are essentially performing Iran's Battle Damage Assessment for them, free of charge," he wrote, urging troops to "redouble our focus on operational security."

"The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured ​in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries," Cooper wrote in his July 28 letter. 

The letter pointed to a real event: a video posted on Instagram this month, filmed with a service member’s Meta smart glasses.

In the video, US troops sprint for cover during the deadly Iranian missile and drone attack at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base on July 17.

Cooper explained that the footage revealed exactly where and how that person evacuated, a level of detail Iran usually can’t get because the US military relies on electronic jamming and other countermeasures during combat.

"Video captured from a service member's Meta glasses was posted on Instagram showing where and how the individual had evacuated to a bunker during an Iranian missile and drone attack," Cooper wrote.

Some troops in Jordan told to prepare to hand over phones

In Jordan, which has been a frequent target of Iranian strikes, some troops have already been told their phones will be confiscated in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

A third source said the move was being considered more broadly across the region because of operational security concerns, though not yet finalized.

CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins confirmed the letter was sent but declined to release it publicly, describing it as "a general reminder to our service members on the importance of maintaining operational security" and one of several such reminders Cooper has issued.

US officials have cautioned for years that certain applications on mobile devices, like fitness applications, can be exploited by adversaries to aid adversary targeting because of location data.

Cooper said details on strikes can help ​Iran mount follow-up attacks.

"Detailed public disclosures can become an immediate green light for Iranian forces to launch a secondary, much more devastating wave of attacks," he said.

He ​called on troops to "redouble our focus on operational security," without prescribing specific steps in the memo.