Iran’s Internet down, Weird AI voice respond to the calls

Kathmandu – In Iran, an internet blackout has been imposed due to escalating conflicts with Israel and the United States. As a result, Iranians abroad are unable to contact their relatives and family members inside the country.

When they call Iranian phone numbers, they are greeted not by a person but by pre-recorded robotic messages, according to various international media reports. Iranians scattered across the UK, the US, and Europe report hearing these mechanical voices when attempting to call family members. The messages are sometimes in English and sometimes in Farsi, ranging in content from cryptic philosophical musings to nonsensical phrases.

Some callers report hearing messages like, “Close your eyes and imagine a peaceful place,” while others recount poorly articulated AI-generated voices speaking broken English:

AI  Voice Says “Hello? Hello? Who is calling? I couldn’t hear. Who do you want to speak with? I’m Alicia. Do you remember me? I think I don’t know you.”

For many, this experience is not only unsettling but terrifying. A 30-year-old woman in New York described it as “one of the scariest moments of my life”—saying she had hoped to hear her mother’s voice, only to be met with an AI-generated stranger.

The timing of these messages is telling. They began after Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites. In response, Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks. Around the same time, the Iranian government shut down WhatsApp and other messaging services, effectively severing internet access. With digital communications disrupted, families reverted to direct phone calls—but even those are now answered by mysterious, robotic messages.

The purpose of these automated messages remains unclear. Some analysts suggest the Iranian government, citing “high security concerns,” might be using them as a tool for surveillance or psychological disruption.

According to NetBlocks, Iran experienced a severe internet outage lasting 62 hours. While some partial restoration of international connectivity occurred by Saturday, services have since been disrupted again. Connectivity remains well below normal levels, and many Iranians, both inside and outside the country, continue to struggle to reconnect with relatives and access independent information.