A theory has gone viral online about the spike in deliveries of pizzas to the United States defence headquarters predicting the next global crisis and it is worth considering. According to a report in The Guardian almost an hour before Iranian state TV first reported loud explosions in Tehran, pizza orders around the Pentagon shot through the roof. The claim was made by a viral X account, formerly known as Twitter, claiming to offer “hot intel” on “late-night activity spikes” at the US military headquarters.
“As of 6:59 pm ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity,” the account Pentagon Pizza Report posted on Thursday.
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Pentagon Pizza mystery deepens
An X account, Pentagon Pizza Index, now records and reports the activity on a regular basis, often indicating what’s brewing in international politics. On Friday, roughly an hour before the first reports of Israeli strikes on Iran came in, pizza orders around the Pentagon spiked.
Similar reports surfaced on June 13. “With about an hour left before close, the 2nd closest Dominos to the Pentagon (about 8 min drive) is experiencing EXTREMELY high levels of traffic compared to a normal Thursday at about 11:00 pm ET,” the account posted.
The Pentagon Pizza theory is an unofficial theory which suggests that spike in orders of pizza or takeout food to government buildings such as the White House, Pentagon or CIA can hint at an major geopolitical events or crises. The quirky theory suggests that when government officials work late into the night-especially on urgent matters- such as military operations, coups or global conflicts- they order quick, convenient food items such as pizza to sustain long hours in the office.
The Pentagon Pizza Report posted the Google Maps activity of four pizza establishments near the Pentagon – We, The Pizza, District Pizza Palace, Domino’s and Extreme Pizza. All these pizza takeaway spots showed a surge in orders around 6:59 pm ET (4:29 am IST).
The concept dates back to the Cold War era when the Soviet operatives noticed the pizza delivery activity in Washington and reported to their bosses in Moscow if America was preparing for something big, reports suggest.
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On August 1, 1990, a Domino’s franchisee in Washington reported a massive surge in pizza deliveries to the CIA buildings. On August 2, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invaded Kuwait. A similar pattern was noticed ahead of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, The Guardian reported.
Over the years, the theory remained in place and has now made its way to social media. The Pentagon Pizza Index, among some of the other pages, used open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools, including Google Maps and real-time restaurant activity.
Pentagon dismisses pizza index
A Pentagon spokesperson reacted to the Pizza delivery index of June 13 when Israel launched military attacks in Iran. The spokesperson clarified they do not need to order pizza as there are many pizza options inside Pentagon and also they have sushi, sandwiches, donuts, etc, reported TOI. “Nearly all pizza establishments near the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity,” the X account of Pentagon Pizza Report said. The Pentagon Pizza Report also said a gay bar close to the Pentagon had “abnormally low traffic for a Thursday night” as Israeli strikes were underway.
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However, US President Donald Trump has several times made it clear that US was not involved in the attacks. “U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran,” he posted on Truth Social.
US Secretary of State and national security adviser, Marco Rubio, said Washington was not involved in this. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence,” he said.
