France summoned Iran’s ambassador on Tuesday, accusing Tehran of an alleged France Iran cyberattack on supermarkets that disabled refrigeration in hundreds of French stores in October. France warned it could respond with its own measures.
According to the Straits Times, French officials said on Monday that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were behind the attacks, which disrupted commercial refrigeration systems across France. The summoning followed that accusation.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the hits came on October 11 and 12 and raised temperatures inside fridges, according to France 24. Many stores were forced to throw away entire inventories of perishable food, he said.
Barrot said France would push for European Union sanctions against Iran. According to France 24, he said Paris ruled nothing out, including measures it would not disclose publicly.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau has opened an investigation into Shahid Kaveh, which is described as a cyber unit of the IRGC, the Revolutionary Guards’ acronym. According to France 24, she requested international arrest warrants for two of its officials. The sources do not name those officials.
The case has wider reach. According to France 24, on November 2 stores in at least nine other European countries were hit by a suspected cyberattack on their freezer systems. The sources do not say whether those countries have attributed the incidents to Iran.
Reuters reported that the supermarket hacks were among the most disruptive cyberattacks since the Iran war began in February. Iran routinely denies malicious cyber operations.
Relations between Paris and Tehran have been strained for years over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, its regional activities and its detention of French nationals. Ties deteriorated again over the summer, after Iran arrested and later expelled two French diplomats. France responded by expelling Iranian diplomats.
Iran’s response is not in the available reporting. Its mission to the United Nations did not return messages seeking comment, and Iran’s reaction to the summoning has not been reported. The sources also do not say what evidence supports the attribution to the Revolutionary Guards.
Several key details rest on a limited set of outlets. The Premium Times was available only as a headline and short excerpt, so its details could not be checked.
France will seek EU sanctions against Iran and may take further measures it has not disclosed. The prosecutor’s investigation and the requested arrest warrants will continue.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.