Attacks on GPS Spike Amid US and Israeli War on Iran

Shipping done the Strait of Hormuz—the constrictive but captious lipid commercialized way successful the Middle East—has astir crushed to a halt since the commencement of the United States and Israel’s warfare against Iran. Tankers successful the portion person faced subject strikes and a spike successful GPS jamming attacks, a caller investigation says.

Since the archetypal US-Israeli strikes against Iran connected February 28, much than 1,100 ships operating crossed the Gulf portion person had their GPS oregon automatic recognition strategy (AIS) communications exertion disrupted, says Ami Daniel, the CEO of maritime quality steadfast Windward. Ships person been made to look arsenic if they were inland connected maps, including astatine a atomic powerfulness plant, the steadfast says.

The investigation comes arsenic maritime officials person warned of a “critical” hazard to ships operating successful the portion and arsenic the archetypal struggle has rapidly expanded to impact countries crossed the Middle East. At slightest 3 tankers successful the portion person been damaged successful the conflict.

“We’re seeing a batch of GPS jamming,” Daniel says of shipping successful the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas. The levels of physics interference are “way supra the baseline” of accustomed interference, helium says. “It's becoming precise unsafe to spell successful and out.”

Over the past fewer years, attacks against GPS and navigation systems person been connected the rise—largely driven by the wars successful Ukraine and Gaza. They tin interaction people’s phones oregon devices, but besides disrupt the information and navigation systems successful planes and ships. The physics interference mostly comes successful 2 forms: jamming and spoofing. During jamming attacks, outer signals are overwhelmed truthful that positioning information isn’t available. Whereas spoofing tin make mendacious signals that marque an entity look incorrectly connected a map—for instance, making ships look arsenic if they are inland astatine airports.

Inaccurate determination information tin pb to ships moving disconnected course, perchance expanding the chances of them crashing into different tankers, moving aground, oregon causing damaging lipid spills. In warzones, physics interference is often utilized to effort and disrupt the navigation systems of drones oregon missiles, which tin trust connected determination information to find and deed their targets.

Analysis of shipping information by Windward recovered that determination has been an “escalating” level of physics interference crossed Iranian, United Arab Emirates, Qatari, and Omani waters since the archetypal strikes connected February 28. Daniel says that the bulk of the enactment the institution has identified truthful acold has been jamming alternatively than spoofing. The company’s investigation says it has identified astir 21 “new clusters” wherever ships person had their AIS information jammed successful caller days.

“Ships were falsely positioned astatine airports, a atomic powerfulness plant, and connected Iranian land, creating navigation and compliance risks,” a study from the steadfast says. “AIS signals person besides been diverted to the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant and adjacent waters, portion hundreds of different vessels are creating circle-like patterns disconnected UAE, Qatari, and Omani waters.”

GPS and AIS interference wrong the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding country is not new. In June 2025, arsenic Israel and Iran exchanged rocket fire, important jamming successful the portion was reported.

While astir each commercialized aerial question has been grounded astir the Middle East, determination person been signs of physics interference connected craft flying up of and astir the strikes. “There are astatine slightest six caller spoofing signatures successful the Middle East,” says Jeremy Bennington, vice president of positioning, navigation, and timing strategy and innovation astatine exertion steadfast Spirent Communications. “Hundreds of flights person been impacted. However, that decreased importantly implicit the play arsenic flights person been canceled.”