Iran rejects France's 'baseless accusations' on fridge cyberattacks
Tehran instead blames the French government for the cyber incidents that affected hundreds of fridges in October.
On Tuesday, Iran firmly dismissed French allegations that it was responsible for cyberattacks on supermarket refrigerators last month, stating that the accusations were baseless and one-sided. The Iranian Foreign Ministry categorically rejected the French government's claims regarding alleged cyber activities in France and strongly condemned the practice of leveling accusations against the Islamic Republic.
The response came after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot claimed on Monday that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was responsible for the cyberattacks targeting French supermarket refrigerators on the night of October 11-12. The attacks affected hundreds of French supermarkets, causing temperatures in refrigerators and freezers to rise, leading to the disposal of perishable food.
Notable stores such as Carrefour, Monoprix, Intermarché, and Coopérative U were among those impacted when attackers manually altered fridge temperatures. Similar incidents were reported in at least 10 other European countries in early November. In response, French authorities summoned Iran's ambassador, sought European-level sanctions, and vowed to take proportionate measures, including undisclosed ones, to deter any further attacks.
France also emphasized that Iran had a history of targeting the country with destabilization acts, citing a hack on Charlie Hebdo in 2023 and hostile actions during the 2024 Olympic Games. Tehran, in turn, vowed to take necessary measures to protect its national interests and security in the face of unlawful foreign activities, accusing France of merely projecting its governance failures with the accusations.
Later that day, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blamed the French government for the incident, stating that the French government was too incompetent to address its own issues and was shifting blame onto others. The European Union expressed its intention to provide a swift and united response to the situation, pending discussions with member states following France's announcement.
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