Tim Mak5h ago

Good morning to readers. #Oil prices have surpassed $103 per barrel (+42% pre-war).

#GPS spoofing is scrambling #flights across the Middle #East, Turning the sky into a map of the war.

Ian at #Flightradar24 tells us how much we rely on GPS to keep the world moving.

https://www.iranwar.news/p/can-we-trust-gps-anymore

Can we trust GPS anymore?

GPS spoofing used to stop drones and missiles is also scrambling civilian flight data across the Middle East, making the war visible in the sky.

Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak
Show threadTim Mak5h ago
Through #flight tracking, you can see a scar in the #sky – a zone where civilian aircraft dare not venture.
Show threadTim Mak5h ago
On tracking websites like #Flightradar24, the entire map of the second-largest country in the #Middle East is barren of the usual little yellow plane icons. Iraq is mostly blank too, as is #Syria, #Lebanon, #Israel, #Jordan, and #Kuwait. The #UAE depends on the day.
Show threadTim Mak5h ago
If you zoom in on an individual #flight, you might also see something stranger — jagged squiggly flight paths that look more like an EKG monitor than an airplane route. That’s #GPS spoofing, and it’s one massive part of this war that will affect all of us.
Show threadTim Mak5h ago
The night the #United #States and Israel launched their first strikes on Iran, visitors to #Flightradar24’s site doubled said Ian Petchenik, their director of communications and long-time #aviation expert.
Show threadTim Mak5h ago
On March 26, a drone attack near #Dubai International #Airport forced flight disruptions for the third time since the war began, not to mention the wave of strikes across the #Middle #East that has shut down airspace from #Iran to the #Gulf.
Show threadTim Mak5h ago
As millions of people watch the Iran war unfold on flight-tracking mapss, they are seeing something unusual: aircraft positions jumping, zigzagging, and disapearing.
Show threadTim Mak5h ago
These distortions are largely caused by #GPS spoofing, the deliberate transmission of fake GPS signals designed to make devices think they are somewhere else.
Show threadTim Mak5h ago
This technology, which is used to confuse drones and missiles, is now inadvertently disrupting the GPS trackers that we use every day — from civilian planes to tracking a shipment to #Google #Maps.
Show threadTim Mak5h ago

If you want to know more, read our latest story on our new publication, Iran War Dispatches, via the link.

https://www.iranwar.news/

Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak | Substack

A publication to report on the war in Iran through the stories of people on the ground. Click to read Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

Show threadTim Mak5h ago

THE LATEST NEWS AT THIS HOUR:

#ISRAEL CLAIMED IT #KILLED #IRAN SECURITY #CHIEF AND BASIJ COMMANDER: Israel said it killed senior Iranian official Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani in strikes. #Iran has not confirmed this.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/17/israel-says-it-has-killed-ali-larijani-irans-top-security-official

Israel says it’s killed Larijani, Iran’s security chief and Basij commander

Israel’s Defence Minister Katz has claimed that Iran’s security chief has been assassinated

Al Jazeera
Show threadTim Mak

U.S. #GENERAL LEAVES CLASSIFIED MATERIAL ON #TRAIN: Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto, overseeing U.S. support for #Ukraine, left classified maps on a train to #Poland and suffered a concussion after heavy drinking in #Kyiv, a #Pentagon report said. The maps were recovered by the U.S. #Embassy the next day. #Aguto accepted responsibility, and medical exams confirmed his injuries.

https://thehill.com/homenews/5786917-us-army-general-alcohol-incident/

2:46pmWeb
Show threadTim Mak5h ago

#IRAQ WARNS #KURDISTAN OVER #OIL DISPUTE: Iraq warned the Kurdistan region it may face legal action for blocking oil exports through a pipeline to #Turkey, as regional tensions grow during the Iran #war.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/03/17/baghdad-warns-kurdistan-region-of-legal-action-over-oil-pipeline-dispute/

Baghdad warns Kurdistan region of legal action over oil pipeline dispute

Iraq says exports through Kurdistan network to Turkey could offset impact of Strait of Hormuz disruption

The National News
Show threadTim Mak5h ago

#GREECE SAYS #EUROPE WILL NOT JOIN #MILITARY ACTION: Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece and other #European countries will take part in military operations near Iran, despite #US requests for allies to send ships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-17/mitsotakis-says-europe-won-t-join-military-operations-near-iran?embedded-checkout=true

Show threadTim Mak5h ago

PROJECTILE NEAR #US #EMBASSY INTERCEPTED IN #BAGHDAD: #Air defenses engaged a projectile near the US Embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday. Videos geolocated by #CNN show anti-air rounds, likely from US C-RAM systems, intercepting what appeared to be a #drone.

https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/iran-war-us-israel-trump-03-16-26?post-id=cmmtvkxqn00003b6wa0m5bv1q

Day 17 of Middle East conflict — Trump criticizes nations not committing to assist with Hormuz strait crisis

EU foreign ministers decided against expanding their naval operations around the Strait of Hormuz, even as President Donald Trump criticized allies who rebuffed demands for assistance in reopening the waterway.

CNN
Show threadTim Mak5h ago

#UK PETROL PRICES HIT 18-MONTH HIGH: Fuel prices in the UK reached their highest level in over 18 months, with unleaded petrol at 140.28 pence per liter and diesel at 158.78 pence. The surge comes as the US-Israel war with Iran disrupts oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing Brent crude above $100 a barrel.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-17/uk-petrol-prices-surge-to-highest-in-1-1-2-years-amid-iran-war?embedded-checkout=true

Show threadTim Mak5h ago

CIVILIANS IN #IRAN SUFFER DURING #NOWRUZ: The International Committee of the Red Cross (#ICRC) said civilians in #Iran are facing a heavy toll amid ongoing attacks. Homes and essential infrastructure have been damaged, schools are closed, and many businesses have temporarily shut down.

https://www.icrc.org/en/statement/icrc-head-delegation-iran-civilians-are-paying-heavy-price-amid-escalating-hostilities

Iran: Civilians are paying a heavy price amid escalating hostilities

International Committee of the Red Cross
Show threadTim Mak5h ago

#IRAN #NEGOTIATES WITH FIFA TO MOVE WORLD CUP GAMES TO #MEXICO: Iran’s football federation is discussing with FIFA the possibility of moving its first-round World Cup matches from the United #States to Mexico. The decision follows President #Trump’s warning that the Iranian team should not travel to the tournament “for their own life and safety” amid the ongoing Middle #East conflict.

https://www.france24.com/en/sport/20260317-iran-negotiating-with-fifa-over-moving-world-cup-games-from-us-to-mexico

Iran 'negotiating' with FIFA over moving World Cup games from US to Mexico

Iran's football federation is holding discussions with global governing body FIFA about moving the Islamic Republic's World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico. US President Donald Trump said last week that Iran's team should not travel to the tournament "for their own life and safety".

FRANCE 24
Show threadTim Mak5h ago

Amplify the voices living in the shadows of war.

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https://www.iranwar.news/

Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak | Substack

A publication to report on the war in Iran through the stories of people on the ground. Click to read Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

Show threadFaraiwe5h ago

@timkmak meanwhile,those among us who were entrusted with classified material, but are not sufficiently up there in chain to be immune to consequences could go to jail for leaving a SCIF with piece of paper, even if it'syour hand written notes about something not classified.

Cool, cool...