France blamed Iran’s Revolutionary Guards for October supermarket refrigeration attacks, with Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot saying the incidents targeted 700 sites and that Paris would implement European sanctions.
Barrot made the accusation Monday. He said France had summoned Iran’s ambassador in Paris to protest and would take further necessary and proportionate measures. He did not give a timetable for the sanctions.
AFP reported that attacks on Oct. 11-12 raised temperatures in French supermarket refrigerators. Some stores had to discard perishable food, in some cases losing entire inventories. Barrot said the attacks targeted 700 sites.
Barrot called the incident “the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage” in France and described it as unprecedented in scale and aggression. His attribution concerned French supermarket systems; it did not establish who was behind similar incidents elsewhere in Europe.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the inquiry covers the leader of Shahid Kaveh, two deputies and other individuals who may be identified. She described Shahid Kaveh as an Iranian offensive cyber unit affiliated with the IRGC’s Electronic and Cyber Centre.
Separately, AFP reported a suspected cyberattack on freezer systems affecting grocery stores in at least nine other European countries on Nov. 2. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for a strong response after learning of France’s attribution, AFP reported.
The French announcement adds a state attribution to wider reports of grocery refrigeration disruptions. Barrot said Paris would take further steps as needed but gave no date for a decision on sanctions.
