IDF spokesman urges Iranians to communicate only through official military channels

The appeal stood out for its direct address to the Iranian public and for its reference to potential “cooperation.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Israel Defense Forces’ Farsi-language spokesman issued an unusual public appeal to Iranian citizens on Thursday, urging them to communicate only through what it described as the military’s official channels, in a message released amid heightened diplomatic focus on Iran.

In a post published on the IDF’s Farsi-language account on X, the spokesman cautioned Iranians against engaging with unofficial pages or links claiming to represent Israeli authorities. “We kindly request patriotic Iranian people to please only follow our official channels of contact and get in touch with us for any kind of cooperation. The pages and links included in this post (link in bio) are the only official and legitimate accounts,” the message stated.

The appeal stood out for its direct address to the Iranian public and for its reference to potential “cooperation,” language rarely used in IDF public messaging. The post did not elaborate on the nature of such contact or cooperation, nor did it provide additional context beyond directing users to official accounts.

The message was published just hours after a meeting in Washington between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, where tensions surrounding Iran were among the topics discussed.

Following the meeting, Trump posted comments on his Truth Social platform, describing the talks in positive terms. “I have just finished meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, of Israel, and various of his Representatives. It was a very good meeting, the tremendous relationship between our two Countries continues,” Trump wrote.

Trump said Iran was a central focus of the discussions but indicated no final decisions were made. “There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated,” he wrote. “If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be.”

The IDF message did not reference the Netanyahu-Trump meeting directly, but its timing underscored the broader diplomatic and security backdrop in which Israel and the United States are weighing their approaches toward Iran. The military did not issue additional clarification regarding the post or its intended audience beyond the text published on the account.