Iran No Longer Trusts US GPS, Opts for China's Navigation System
Iran has reportedly abandoned the US-based Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite navigation system in favour of China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.
For context, the satellite navigation systems currently available globally besides GPS and BeiDou include Russia’s GLONASS and Europe’s Galileo system.
Iran’s adoption of BeiDou was first reported by geopolitical analysis media, National Herald.
In July 2025, during heightened tensions with Israel, Iran’s Ministry of Communication officials confirmed that the government was considering GPS alternatives such as BeiDou. “The Islamic Republic plans to pursue alternative options such as China’s BeiDou system, which has become one of the main points in a long-term cooperation agreement currently being negotiated between Tehran and Beijing,” said Iran’s Deputy Minister of Communication, Ehsan Chitsaz, to the Ham-Mihan newspaper.
According to Iranian news site Iran International, Iranian officials also cited GPS interference and security conflicts as drivers for seeking navigation system alternatives from China.
Several defence reports indicate that Iran has integrated BeiDou-3 into certain military systems, including drones and missiles, to reduce reliance on GPS. This integration is said to help Iran overcome GPS jamming during conflicts, as BeiDou is claimed to have anti-jamming features and encrypted military signals.
Iran has experienced navigation disruptions based on GPS several times in recent years, particularly in the Persian Gulf region and areas affected by military tensions in the Middle East. Whilst most modern military drones and missiles use encrypted GPS signals reserved for military use, some surveillance drones and guided bombs or missiles still rely on unencrypted open GPS signals, making them vulnerable to interference.
Tehran has experienced such interference more severely than other regions. Domestic navigation applications such as Balad and Neshan, as well as international applications like Waze, have reportedly displayed incorrect maps or placed users in wrong locations such as Europe, Canada, or Africa when signals were disrupted.
By adopting BeiDou, Iran hopes to achieve a more independent navigation system that does not rely on technology infrastructure controlled by Western nations.
The BeiDou system is currently operated by China with a network of more than 40 satellites orbiting Earth. The system became fully operational globally in 2020.