Sat Jun 21 05:32:45 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the given text, formatted for an Indian audience, along with some context to fit the publication’s style:

**The Hindu: World Affairs Through Indian Eyes**

**Eerie AI Voices Haunt Iranian Diaspora Amidst Escalating Tensions**

*DUBAI, June 21, 2025* – As tensions between Iran and Israel reach a fever pitch, Iranians living abroad are facing a new, unsettling obstacle in their attempts to connect with family back home: strange, robotic voices answering their calls.

Since Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites a week ago, multiple individuals in the UK and the US have reported encountering pre-recorded or AI-generated messages instead of their loved ones’ voices.

“Calling your mom and expecting to hear her voice and hearing an AI voice is one of the most scary things I’ve ever experienced,” a 30-year-old Iranian woman in New York said.

One recurring message, often delivered in imperfect English or Farsi, speaks of not knowing who the caller is. Others offer platitudes or bizarre scenarios of relaxation. The messages persist even when the caller attempts to speak.

These occurrences are deeply concerning for the Iranian diaspora, already struggling with a widespread internet blackout imposed by the Iranian government, ostensibly to protect the country. This blackout has severed communication channels, leaving many anxious about the safety and well-being of their relatives.

Experts are divided on the origin of these robotic voices. Some believe it is a low-tech AI, chatbot or prerecorded message to which calls from abroad were diverted. Some experts believe the Iranian government is behind the phenomenon, potentially as a form of control or to thwart perceived threats. Others suggest Israel could be responsible, possibly engaging in psychological warfare aimed at unsettling the Iranian population abroad.

“The messages… appear aimed at “tormenting” already anxious Iranians abroad,” says Marwa Fatafta, Policy and Advocacy Director for digital rights group Access Now

Former Twitter executive Colin Crowell suggests Iranian phone companies may be diverting the calls, and that the recordings may be a government measure to thwart hackers. Experts such as Amir Rashidi, director of the Texas-based Miaan group, suggest that the voice messages are part of a pattern of Iranian government response to past emergency situations.

The Israeli military has declined to comment, and the Prime Minister’s office has not responded to requests for comment.

Adding to the anxieties, reports indicate that those who have access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, though illegal in Iran, are being urged to report neighbors with the devices as part of an ongoing spy hunt.

One woman in the UK, ‘M’, unable to reach her immobile mother-in-law in Tehran, which has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes, receives a calming mantra about serenity when she calls. The unsettling messages only intensify feelings of helplessness.

As the conflict continues, the Iranian diaspora remains in a state of uncertainty, desperately seeking ways to connect with their families amidst the digital and physical disruptions.

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