Attacks on refrigerators in supermarkets – France blames Iran

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has blamed Iran's Revolutionary Guards for a cyberattack on supermarket refrigeration systems in France. The Paris public prosecutor's office said it had applied for international arrest warrants against the leader of the cyber unit, Shahid Kaweh, and his two deputies. The unit belongs to the Revolutionary Guards.

According to the information, investigators discovered a procedure typical of Shahid Kaweh. The attackers also used Persian and IP addresses that pointed to devices in Iran. The alleged hacker attacks were committed to serve a foreign power, in this case Iran, it said.

Barrot announced consequences for Iran. The Iranian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry. There will be EU sanctions against the country.

The attacks in Europe were preceded by at least one similar incident in the United States. In August, refrigeration systems failed in at least six supermarkets on US military bases. Pentagon investigators are treating the disruptions as a suspected cyberattack and are working with French authorities, Reuters reported last month. The Pentagon suspects Iran, a person familiar with the matter said. However, the investigation is not yet completed. The US Department of Defense said on Monday that it was aware of "speculation about a possible cyber incident" but could not provide further comment for security reasons.

The attacks are considered one of the most consequential cyber attacks in the war with Iran that has been ongoing since February. The conflict is characterized by isolated suspected cyber disruptions. These included disruptions to Los Angeles' mass transit system in March, U.S. water treatment plants in July and U.S.-bound ships in August. Iran regularly denies allegations of carrying out cyberattacks.