FRANCE ACCUSES IRAN OF CYBER SABOTAGE THAT SPOILED FOOD ACROSS 700 SUPERMARKETS
France has formally blamed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for an October cyberattack that raised temperatures in supermarket refrigerators and freezers, spoiling food at roughly 700 retailers and causing some equipment fires.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated: “I can confirm that this attack was carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” He called it “unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression” and “the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on our national territory.” Barrot added that it “constitutes a major attack on the nation’s interests and the security of the French people.”
French prosecutors are investigating the head of Shahid Kaveh, a cyber unit tied to the IRGC, along with two deputies. Officials cited the use of Farsi and IP addresses linked to Iran. The attack hit major chains including Intermarché, Coopérative U, Carrefour, and others. In some stores temperatures climbed to 50°C overnight. Losses ran into millions of euros in spoiled fresh and frozen goods.
France has summoned Iran’s ambassador and is pushing for sanctions at the European level. Iran has not responded to the accusations. Similar refrigeration attacks were reported last week in other European countries, though links remain unconfirmed.
The incident targeted civilian food supply systems with outdated or poorly secured refrigeration controls from a Danish firm. It is the latest example of Iranian-linked cyber activity amid ongoing tensions. European governments now face the choice of whether statements and sanctions will deter further attacks on everyday infrastructure.