Public criticism of reported foreign-intel allegations and identity disclosure
Coverage of Handala and Iranian state-media claims naming Mir-Vahid Hassantabar, alleged foreign-intelligence links, a reported Telegram-member list leak, and his public Telegram and Nowruz replies denying the security claims.
Editorial timeline of public reporting, not a legal finding.
- Fars: Handala claim of hack and identity disclosure - Fars News Agency reported that the Handala cyber group said it had hacked Vahid Online and identified the operator as Mir Vahid Hassantabar, alleging years of media work under Israeli security direction. The collaboration claim was presented as Handala's allegation, not independently verified in that report. وحید آنلاین هک و در تور اطلاعاتی حنظله قرار گرفت + افشای اطلاعات کامل میر وحید حسنتبار
- Fars: reported leak of about 180,000 channel members - Fars reported that Handala published a list of about 180,000 Vahid Online Telegram members with phone numbers, while repeating earlier identity and foreign-link claims. Where the full list was hosted remained thinly documented in open coverage. حنظله لیست ۱۸۰هزار نفری اعضای کانال وحید آنلاین را منتشر کرد
- Public Telegram reply: partial ID confirm, security claims denied - Persian Epoch Times and IranWire reported his Telegram post: some published identity details were correct, but he denied Mossad or Kalemeh links, denied the channel was hacked or hit by a missile strike on a "team", said he works alone from Maryland, and called the circulated photo AI-generated. وحیدآنلاین ادعای تسنیم درباره حمله موشکی و هک کردن این کانال تلگرامی را رد کرد
- Nowruz message signed with released name Mir-Vahid Hassantabar - Iran International reported that three days after the reported identity disclosure he signed a Nowruz message on X as Mir-Vahid Hassantabar. The same piece said he dismissed foreign-intelligence allegations as routine smear tactics and described himself as an ordinary citizen with no such links. Vahid, the life-saving 'one-man army' Iranians turn to when news is censored