Iran on Tuesday rejected what it called “baseless" French accusations, after Paris blamed Tehran for major cyberattacks on connected supermarket refrigeration systems across France.
Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it “categorically rejects the baseless and one-sided accusations by the French government against Iran concerning alleged cyber activities in France."
It added that it “strongly condemns this worn-out policy of making accusations against the Islamic Republic.”
On Monday, France formally attributed the attack to a cyber unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The cyberattack, carried out overnight from 11 to 12 October, targeted refrigeration controllers at about 700 supermarket and retail sites across France.
According to French security services, the attack caused heavy losses of goods and triggered fires in at least 15 cases.
Similar incidents were reported in at least 11 European countries in early November.
Iran’s ambassador to France was summoned on Tuesday morning to the foreign ministry, where officials expressed France’s “strongest protest.”
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office has requested international arrest warrants for two officials from the Iranian cyber unit, known as Shahid Kaveh.
Paris also plans to push at the European level for new sanctions against Tehran.
Iran said in response that it “would not hesitate to take the necessary and appropriate measures to preserve its national interests and security in the face of illegal foreign activities.”
