Heavy GPS jamming off Iranian coast

By Michael Drummond, foreign news reporter

A quick look at ship tracking around the Iranian port of Tombak shows something quite odd.

Dozens of vessels appear to be all arranged in a circle… on land. And it’s a similar story a little way along the coast.

So what’s going on?

For obvious reasons, these ships probably aren’t all on land in a neat circle, but something is interfering with the AIS tracking signals they submit that is making it look like they are.

This appears to be the shadowy practice of GPS interference – an issue that has rocketed in recent years as warfare changes.

What is GPS jamming?

There are two main types of GPS interference – “jamming” and “spoofing”.

Jamming overwhelms navigation systems and stops them working properly, while spoofing is more serious and involves sending false GPS signals that make planes and ships look hundreds of miles away from where they actually are.

Why does GPS jamming happen?

Increasingly GPS interference is being used as part of air defence systems to try and stop missiles and drones from reaching their intended targets.

Some militaries also seek to obscure the location of navy vessels or other potential targets by interfering with GPS signals.

If it is indeed GPS jamming in this area, it’s not certain who is behind it.

However there has been mass interference since the start of the conflict between Israel and Iran, affecting nearly 1,000 ships in the Gulf, shipping analysis firm Windward said earlier this month.

The US defense chief said on Sunday that strikes ordered by US President Donald Trump overnight had “devastated” Iran’s nuclear program and urged Iranian leaders to seek peace to avoid further attacks.

“We devastated the Iranian nuclear program,” defense secretary Pete Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation “did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.”

Trump “seeks peace, and Iran should take that path,” Hegseth said.

“This mission was not, and has not, been about regime change,” he added.

“The president authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self-defense of our troops and our ally Israel.”

Earlier, US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) confirmed that American forces had carried out a large-scale strike on three of Iran’s most critical nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—marking a dramatic escalation in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

The strikes, which Trump described as “very successful,” appear to mark the United States’ formal entry into the regional war, a move that American presidents had avoided for decades. “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

He continued, “Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”

According to reports, the underground Fordow facility—protected by layers of rock and concrete—was hit with a series of 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs. While there’s been no official confirmation yet, several US B-2 stealth bombers were seen departing from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Friday night. These aircraft are the only ones capable of delivering such heavy bombs, which are designed specifically to target deeply buried and fortified sites like Fordow.

CNN reported that these bombers were later seen flying over the Pacific Ocean, possibly heading toward Guam, although it remains unconfirmed if they were part of the Iran strike mission.

The Natanz facility, one of Iran’s main uranium enrichment centers, had already been damaged by Israeli strikes earlier in the week. The Isfahan site, near the historic city of the same name, is believed to house a stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

The New York Times noted that this is the first time since the 1979 Iranian Revolution that the US Air Force has directly attacked major targets within Iran. Trump’s move signals a clear break from decades of American restraint regarding direct military involvement with Iran.

According to reports, Trump had been engaged in constant briefings in the White House Situation Room over the past week, carefully reviewing military plans and possible responses. Earlier timelines had hinted at a two-week decision window, but Saturday’s strikes came much sooner.

The strikes follow nine days of escalating violence between Iran and Israel. The conflict began on June 13, when Israel launched a sweeping offensive on Iranian military and nuclear sites under “Operation Rising Lion.” In retaliation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) initiated “Operation True Promise 3,” targeting key Israeli energy and fuel production sites with a barrage of drones and missiles.

With the United States now openly involved, the regional conflict appears to have entered a new and far more dangerous phase.

Heavy GPS jamming off Iranian coast

By Michael Drummond, foreign news reporter

A quick look at ship tracking around the Iranian port of Tombak shows something quite odd.

Dozens of vessels appear to be all arranged in a circle… on land. And it’s a similar story a little way along the coast.

So what’s going on?

For obvious reasons, these ships probably aren’t all on land in a neat circle, but something is interfering with the AIS tracking signals they submit that is making it look like they are.

This appears to be the shadowy practice of GPS interference – an issue that has rocketed in recent years as warfare changes.

What is GPS jamming?

There are two main types of GPS interference – “jamming” and “spoofing”.

Jamming overwhelms navigation systems and stops them working properly, while spoofing is more serious and involves sending false GPS signals that make planes and ships look hundreds of miles away from where they actually are.

Why does GPS jamming happen?

Increasingly GPS interference is being used as part of air defence systems to try and stop missiles and drones from reaching their intended targets.

Some militaries also seek to obscure the location of navy vessels or other potential targets by interfering with GPS signals.

If it is indeed GPS jamming in this area, it’s not certain who is behind it.

However there has been mass interference since the start of the conflict between Israel and Iran, affecting nearly 1,000 ships in the Gulf, shipping analysis firm Windward said earlier this month.

Heavy GPS jamming off Iranian coast

By Michael Drummond, foreign news reporter

A quick look at ship tracking around the Iranian port of Tombak shows something quite odd.

Dozens of vessels appear to be all arranged in a circle… on land. And it’s a similar story a little way along the coast.

So what’s going on?

For obvious reasons, these ships probably aren’t all on land in a neat circle, but something is interfering with the AIS tracking signals they submit that is making it look like they are.

This appears to be the shadowy practice of GPS interference – an issue that has rocketed in recent years as warfare changes.

What is GPS jamming?

There are two main types of GPS interference – “jamming” and “spoofing”.

Jamming overwhelms navigation systems and stops them working properly, while spoofing is more serious and involves sending false GPS signals that make planes and ships look hundreds of miles away from where they actually are.

Why does GPS jamming happen?

Increasingly GPS interference is being used as part of air defence systems to try and stop missiles and drones from reaching their intended targets.

Some militaries also seek to obscure the location of navy vessels or other potential targets by interfering with GPS signals.

If it is indeed GPS jamming in this area, it’s not certain who is behind it.

However there has been mass interference since the start of the conflict between Israel and Iran, affecting nearly 1,000 ships in the Gulf, shipping analysis firm Windward said earlier this month.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Wednesday to help mediate an end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting Moscow could help negotiate a settlement that could allow Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns.

Speaking to senior news leaders of international news agencies, Putin noted that “it’s a delicate issue,” but added that “in my view, a solution could be found.”

Asked how Russia would react if Israel kills Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Putin refused to answer, saying that “I don’t even want to discuss such a possibility.”

Khamenei has rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.”

WATCH: Iran rejects Trump’s calls for surrender amid Israel’s ongoing bombardment

Putin said he shared Moscow’s proposals with Iran, Israel and the United States.

“We are not imposing anything on anyone; we are simply talking about how we see a possible way out of the situation. But the decision, of course, is up to the political leadership of all these countries, primarily Iran and Israel,” he said.

Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it developed strong economic and military ties with Iran, a policy that could allow Moscow to play power broker.

Putin’s comments follow a mediation offer that he made in a call with U.S. President Donald Trump last weekend.

Trump said Wednesday that he told Putin to stay focused on finding an endgame to his own conflict with Ukraine.

“I said, ‘Do me a favor, mediate your own,’” Trump said he told Putin. “I said, ‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.’”

The comments represented a shift for Trump, who earlier this week said he was “open” to Putin’s offer to mediate in the Middle East.

Over 200 Russians remain at Iran’s nuclear power plant

Putin, meeting with senior news leaders of international news agencies including The Associated Press on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, emphasized that Russia has a trusting relationship with Iran and helped built its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr on the Persian Gulf south of Tehran.

He said that over 200 Russian workers are involved in building two more reactors in Bushehr, adding that “we agreed with the Israeli leadership that their security will be ensured.”

Putin emphasized that Tehran hasn’t asked Moscow for military assistance, noting the “strategic partnership” treaty between the countries that was signed in January doesn’t envision such aid.

In addition to a few air defense systems that Russia supplied to Iran in the past, it also offered previously to help create comprehensive air defenses, but Tehran didn’t want it, he said.

“Our proposal was to create a system, not isolated deliveries, but a system,” Putin said. “We used to discuss it in the past, but the Iranian side showed little interest.”

Israel said that it knocked out Iran’s Russia-supplied S-300 air defense missile systems during last year’s strikes.

Praise for Trump’s push for peace in Ukraine

Putin on Wednesday praised Trump’s push for peace in Ukraine, seconding the American leader’s repeated claims that the 3-year-old conflict wouldn’t have started if he had been in the White House in 2022.

“If Trump had been the president, the conflict indeed might not have erupted,” Putin said.

Russia has intensified its aerial campaign in Ukraine recently and stepped up ground attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line. Putin has effectively rejected Trump’s offer of an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine’s mobilization effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies.

He said he is open for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but repeated his claim that he lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies.

“We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement,” Putin said, noting the previous round of talks had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers.

Asked by AP about Russia condemning Israel’s strikes on Iran even as Ukrainian civilians are killed in attacks by Moscow, Putin responded that Russia was targeting the country’s arms factories.

“The strikes were carried out against military industries, not residential quarters,” Putin said.

AP reporters have documented damage to residential buildings in Ukraine, most recently this week. On Wednesday, emergency workers pulled more bodies from the rubble of a nine-story Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian attack earlier this week, raising the death toll from the strike on the capital to 28.

READ MORE: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy calls for more pressure on Russia after deadly missile strike in Kyiv

Putin vowed that Moscow will achieve its goal to “demilitarize” Ukraine.

“We will not allow Ukraine to have armed forces that would threaten the Russian Federation and its people,” he said. “And if we fail to reach a settlement, we will achieve our goals by military means.”

He strongly warned Germany against delivering long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, saying that it could draw it into a direct military conflict with Russia but won’t help stem Russian advances.

“Our troops are advancing along the entire line of contact,” he said, warning Ukraine to accept Russia’s terms for a peace deal or face tougher conditions in the future. “If they fail to agree, the situation could change for the worse.”

He also dismissed Western warnings of Russia’s purported plans to attack NATO countries as “ravings,” noting the alliance’s military spending far exceed Moscow’s defense budget.

Putin has used the annual forum to highlight Russia’s economic achievements and seek foreign investment. Western executives, who attended the event in the past, have avoided it after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, leaving it to business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

He met earlier with former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who now heads the New Development Bank created by the BRICS alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. He is also set to have meetings with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and He’s also expected to confer with top officials from China, South Africa and Bahrain and the head of the OPEC group of oil-producing countries.