Communication security

Iranian official: President Rouhani's cellphone tapped 'recently'

An Iranian military official has revealed that President Hassan Rouhani's mobile phone was tapped "recently", without providing details on who was behind it or what information was obtained.

The semi-official ISNA news agency on Monday quoted General Gholam Reza Jalali as saying that Rouhani's phone would be replaced with a more secure device.

Jalali, who is the head of a military unit charged with combatting sabotage, did not specify when exactly the tapping occurred.

Iran moved to boost its cyber capabilities in 2011 after the Stuxnet computer virus destroyed thousands of centrifuges involved in its contested nuclear programme.