Mystery Persian broadcast traced to Europe
A mysterious shortwave radio broadcast known as Numbers Station V32 has captured attention since the start of the US-Israel attacks on Iran on February 28. The broadcast, featuring a male voice reciting sequences of numbers in Persian (Farsi), appears almost daily from a location in Western Europe, according to reports from Radio Free Europe.
The station follows a repeated pattern: numbers read twice, a pause, the word “attention” in Persian, and further number sequences.
Jamming and interference disrupt transmissions
Five days after the broadcasts began, the signal started to experience heavy electronic interference (“jamming”), making it difficult to hear. Despite this, transmissions continued on alternative frequencies, deepening the mystery. Experts note that such signals, historically used during the Cold War, are virtually impossible to decode without the correct key.
Iranian and Turkish electronic interventions
Observers report that the Persian transmissions received heavy Iranian jamming. On March 17, 2026, at 02:00 UTC, the broadcast was reportedly “drowned out” by Iranian interference, while webSDR receivers in Greece and Cyprus captured the signal and documented the characteristic “bubble jamming” pattern. A wave bubble is a portable radio frequency (RF) jamming device that creates a localized “bubble” of interference to block communication signals, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, and GPS.
Analysts also suggest that Turkey may have intervened with electronic warfare measures, disrupting encrypted signals sent from Europe to Iran. Initially, Radio Free Europe attributed the signals to Iran, but later assessments propose the station may be a secret communication channel from Israel to Mossad agents inside Iran.
From SDR in Cyprus bubble jamming pic.twitter.com/PZxX9AoRgP
— W (@VR_FR_Spotter) March 17, 2026
Unknown actors behind Numbers Station V32
The question of who operates Numbers Station V32 remains unresolved, with speculation pointing to the US, Israel, or Turkey. ABC News reports indicate that American authorities may have detected encrypted transmissions potentially linked to activating dormant agent networks, adding to the intrigue surrounding the station.
Listen to this: a mysterious radio message was caught on the first day of the US-Iran war. A man calmly reading random numbers in Persian. What is it? And who's behind it?
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) March 12, 2026
By @Mike_Eckel pic.twitter.com/hhfbcFC2iT
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