France has accused Iran of being behind a series of cyber-attacks that disrupted refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets across the country, resulting in the destruction of fresh and frozen food worth millions of euros.
French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Monday, November 9, said the attacks were carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Barrot described the incident as unprecedented in both scale and aggression, adding that France would push for sanctions against those responsible at the European level.
The attacks, which occurred on October 11 and 12, involved hackers gaining access to software controlling commercial refrigerators and freezers before manipulating temperature settings.
Some refrigeration units reportedly heated up to 50 degrees Celsius, causing food to spoil and forcing supermarkets to dispose of affected products. Some equipment also reportedly caught fire.
Hundreds of supermarkets operated by major retailers, including Carrefour, Intermarché, Monoprix and Coopérative U, were affected.
French authorities have since opened an investigation into a cyber unit affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards known as Shahid Kaveh.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has also requested international arrest warrants for the unit’s leader and two deputies over their alleged involvement in the attacks.
France has also summoned Iran’s ambassador as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate.
Iran has yet to publicly respond to the latest accusations.
